Latest news with #YorkePeninsula
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Yorke Peninsula tourism sector echoes calls for support as algal bloom continues
South Australian fisher Andrew Pisani has been netting South Australia's prized King George whiting off the coast of the Yorke Peninsula for more than three decades. But in the last 70 days he said he has not caught a single healthy fish in the waters near Stansbury, where he lives at the heel of the Peninsula. "Every boat ramp here is empty, there's no vessels here at all," Mr Pisani said. "Just dead fish." This week he said he was brought to tears by the sight of hundreds of dead fish in previously unaffected waters near Ardrossan at the top of the Gulf. "It's like something you would see in a horror movie," he said. "I turned to my son and said, 'It's all over'." The algal bloom was first detected in South Australian waters in March. In the Yorke Peninsula, it has decimated one of the country's top shallow dive locations at Edithburgh, and wiped out squid, garfish and whiting populations. Six local oyster leases were closed following the detection of toxins linked to the bloom in May. Mr Pisani said he was concerned about what would happen if the algae hangs around until the warmer months. "If we don't have that tourism from October to March, that six or seven months, Yorke Peninsula will lose millions of dollars in the community," he said. The impact of the marine disaster is already being felt in the tourism sector. At the Port Vincent Kiosk, owner Jo Barrett said fish and chip sales are down by half as customers turn their back on local produce. "Previously it was, 'Do you have local? We want to buy local'," Ms Barrett said. "Now they don't want local. "They'd rather buy overseas fish and we're not buying from our local suppliers because people don't want it." Ms Barrett said the kiosk's turnover was 40 per cent down on this time last year. She said she has already had to cut her staff's rosters by at least eight hours a week, and she was worried about what would happen in the months ahead. "We rely on our aquatics, which start back next week and we won't have them, they won't let the kids go out in the sea." Across the road, cafe owner Chris Keys has also noticed the downturn. A dedicated early morning swimmer, lately he has been shovelling dead fish off the beach that his cafe windows look out to. "What I worry about is the on-flow effect of the next few months," he told a public meeting held during the week. Members of the community have called for a natural disaster declaration to trigger Commonwealth support, and a plan of action from the state government to deal with the bloom and drive tourism back to the region. "Everything on the bottom is dead. It's going to take more than one year to recover, it's going to take a lot of years to recover," a local fisherman told the meeting. Another called for more research into the algal bloom, fish stocks and the safety of eating local seafood. A fisheries patrol ship has been conducting underwater observations in the Gulf in the past week for the first time since the algae was detected. The state government has previously announced commercial fishers can apply to have licence and other fees waived if their catches have been impacted by the bloom, and South Australia's primary industries minister, Clare Scriven, has also written to her federal counterpart, seeking support for fishers. On Friday, Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Murray Watt, said the Albanese government recognised the bloom was "very serious for South Australians", adding that he would "certainly consider" any assistance request from the state government — and said the federal government had been "engaged with the South Australian government" for "some time", while also saying that the bloom was occurring in state, not Commonwealth, waters. But people in the Yorke Peninsula community that the ABC spoke to said they need information now, as businesses grapple with tough decisions about their future. "You feel like if it was on the east coast it would have already been declared [a natural disaster]," Mark Tilbrook, the owner of Edithburgh Newsagency and Deli, said. The small town of Edithburgh usually attracts thousands of divers, recreational fishers and surfers, but Mr Tilbrook said at the moment there was "nothing for them to see". "Nothing. Dead ocean." The impacts of the algal bloom have also been felt on the Spencer Gulf. Mussel harvesting was recently suspended at some sites in the Port Lincoln area after the detection of the same toxin that closed oyster leases at Port Vincent and Stansbury. Oyster farmer Steven Thomson said he was confident the bloom would not reach his leases on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula, but understood the impact it was having on others. Coffin Bay producers experienced a much smaller outbreak of karenia mikimotoi in 2014. Having experienced the "mental and emotional" impact of the harmful algal bloom, Mr Thomson said research into the long-term effect of karenia mikimotoi on aquaculture and native species was crucial.
ABC News
14-07-2025
- General
- ABC News
Yorke Peninsula Council reviews $3.8m Marion Bay boat ramp over safety concerns
The Sea Rescue Squadron responsible for one of South Australia's most popular fishing spots is boycotting a new $3.8 million boat ramp, labelling it "dangerous" to sailors and vessels. Edithburgh Sea Rescue Squadron commander Brian Klingberg is among waterway users who have urged Yorke Peninsula Council to improve the safety of the new boat ramp at Marion Bay. While the council defended its consultation process, on Friday it agreed to reopen the old ramp as an temporary solution. It came after councillors voted last Wednesday to remove the new ramp's wave attenuation wall, which was supposed to reduce water movement, a change that will result in wider entry ways. The council will also look to raise the height of the central walkway between the two ramps which, according to a report presented at the meeting, "appears to be blocking the natural flow of sand and seaweed … leading to a build-up". The report also said $303,000 was left in the budget, but a quote was still being sought for further works. It remains unclear how much more money will be spent to improve the new design. Construction on the new ramp finished in April, two years after the state government chipped in $3.04 million of the total cost. However, Recreational Fishing SA executive officer Asher Dezsery said he was aware of at least six fishers who damaged their vessels within a fortnight of opening. Mr Dezsery said the biggest problem was posed by the pylons on either side of the walkway, which formed part of the "wave attenuation wall", but created a collision hazard in rough weather. The project includes two ramps either side of a walkway, one measuring four metres wide and the other six metres wide. "You don't have any movement or forgiveness as such, because you've got those poles and the pontoon itself," he said. "When you've got a really big boat, and some of these boats are worth $500,000 or $600,000, you've got nowhere to go. He added that RecFish SA was not approached for its opinion about the final design. Mr Klingberg, a Sea Rescue member of more than 20 years, described it as a "crushing hazard". "Not being an engineer, I think what they should have done is involve the locals down there," he said. "There are plenty of people who have used those facilities for 30, 40 years, and they're the ones who should have been consulted. "We didn't know anything about the design until it was all there." A Yorke Peninsula Council spokesperson said between August and September 2022, "more than 200 individuals who had previously corresponded with council about the ramp were contacted directly". "A media release was also issued via the council's website and promoted through Facebook, reaching more than 27,000 people and resulting in over 650 visits to the project webpage," the spokesperson said. "Council received 39 formal submissions. Of these, 56 per cent supported the concept design, 26 per cent opposed it, and 18 per cent provided neutral or mixed feedback. According to the council's website, two years' worth of coastal modelling data was also obtained before construction commenced. Marion Bay Rentals owner Brett Davies was pleased the old ramp had been reopened, given the algae bloom was already hurting business. "We've had a number of guests that have been coming down for 10 years, and I've had three of them state that they won't come back because of the ramp," Mr Davies said. "I've had quite a few phone calls where guests are asking me if the boat ramp is safe to launch and my answer is, 'If you're launching by yourself, it's going to be a challenge'. "We're 60 per cent down [in bookings] from the same period last year, and I'm not saying that's all because of the ramp, but going forward, I think time will tell, and I think it will have a huge impact if people think they're going to damage their boats." The ABC also contacted SA Police asking if water rescue officers had voiced safety concerns, but a spokesperson declined to comment.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Footage captured 55 days apart show devastating impact of algal bloom
Two videos captured 55 days apart by a diver show the devastating impact of the algal bloom near Ardrossan in SA's Yorke Peninsula.
ABC News
01-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
South Australia's toxic algal bloom detected at West Lakes, Port River to be tested
The state government says preliminary samples show the toxic algal bloom that has been impacting parts of the South Australian coast has now been detected in West Lakes. The toxic bloom has caused fish kills on the Fleurieu and Yorke peninsulas, Kangaroo Island and has recently also hit Adelaide's metropolitan beaches. Dead fish and sea animals have been spotted on the shore from Sellicks Beach to North Haven, raising concerns for both local residents and authorities. The Department for Environment and Water is now testing water from West Lakes and the Port River for the algae. In a statement, the department said it had confirmed the presence of Karenia mikimotoi, the species of algae first detected on the Fleurieu Peninsula in March, in low levels in West Lakes. The Port River is home to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, which is regularly monitored by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The bloom has also been detected along the Spencer Gulf, Kangaroo Island, Troubridge Point on Yorke Peninsula, the Coorong's North Lagoon and along the coastline from Victor Harbor to Robe. The department said it was also testing a dolphin carcass that was collected from Tennyson Beach on Monday. It is also looking at a great white shark carcass from Port Broughton to determine if the bloom contributed to its death. The bloom's impact has hit metropolitan Adelaide beaches, with locals capturing images of dead sharks and sea lions. Scientists were hoping a drop in temperatures over winter would bring an end to the ecological disaster, which appeared after a range of environmental impacts hit the region, including water from the 2022/23 River Murray floods flowing into the Southern Ocean, followed by unseasonably cold and warm water. But on Monday, Environment Minister Susan Close said she wanted to "prepare people" that the bloom was "not something that is likely to pass quickly" and "likely also to return at some point". "We've seen the large mass of algae — the depth of some 20-metres and the size of Kangaroo Island — break up significantly," she said on Monday. "But what's happened, is a lot of it has just been moved around into other parts of South Australian waters, including the metropolitan coast. "This is of concern … because we're continuing to see marine life washing up dead on our coastline." The government said the bloom was unlikely to dissipate quickly because an "ongoing marine heatwave" was continuing off SA's south coast. Further complicating matters, Dr Close said, was that the species responsible for the bloom can drop to the seabed and survive if the conditions no longer suited it. The department said the bloom occurred naturally and nothing could be done to dilute or dissipate it. The bloom is considered non-toxic to humans, but can cause skin, eye and lung irritation.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
The sad reason dead great white shark washed up on popular beach
Locals in a coastal South Australian town gathered in horror around the carcass of a great white shark that is believed to be the latest victim of a killer algae. Since mid-March, hundreds of fish, sharks, rays, and other marine life have been affected by Karenia mikimotoi algae along the Fleurieu and Yorke Peninsulas and Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide. The toxic algae is microscopic and known for its harmful blooms which can also cause illness and irritation in humans. Months after it first emerged, residents along the coast continue to be shocked by the ongoing crisis in the waters. Community Facebook page Shark Watch South Australia shared photos and videos of a dead female great white, which was found washed up on the shore on Friday. A fisheries officer could be seen raising the fish, thought to be roughly 3.7m in length, onto a trailer in Port Broughton, roughly 170 km northwest of Adelaide. A crowd of adults and children could be seen in footage looking down on the deceased shark, prodding its sharp teeth. Locals took to the comments section of the Facebook post to share their upset over the death of the shark. One user called the loss 'devastating' while others said the death was 'such a shame'. A third said: 'This is absolutely heartbreaking. We have somehow managed to suffocate all the marine life in South Australia.' The SA Government's Department for Environment and Water confirmed on Saturday the algal bloom has affected various marine wildlife. The last large event of this type of algae recorded in South Australia was at Coffin Bay in 2014. 'It is a major concern that it could keep happening every warm season,' Dr Christopher Keneally told Daily Mail Australia. The microbial ecologist, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide, explained there is a risk of the bloom creating a cycle in Australian waters. 'As we start to see this bloom wrap up, we're worried that what we're going to see is some of these cells sink into the sediment and lay dormant until next summer. 'So, potentially, we might see this go on continuously, or even stop and then come back next summer, and maybe continue year on year.' Dr Keneally added the news that marine life was washing up on metropolitan beaches, like at Port Broughton, would help raise awareness. 'It's really concerning (and) it makes the issue a little bit more acute,' the ecologist said. '(It means there is) a little bit more knowledge and publicity about it, so something can be done and we can fix it faster.' Dr Keneally highlighted this is a global issue related to climate change and higher sea surface temperatures. 'What does fixing it look like? It's the same as a bush fire,' he said. 'All you can do is prepare and forecast and look towards the future and then maybe try and fix the issues around fuel and temperature on a broader scale, globally.' The Department for Environment and Water has said nothing can be done to dilute or dissipate the bloom. Government agencies are monitoring the situation. Signs are in place at public entry points to affected beaches and national parks. Beaches remain open.
