‘Toxic' waters behind the surge of shark attacks in Adelaide, SA
A 'toxic algal bloom' has been blamed for recent attacks and washing up of sharks on South Australia's beaches.
Last week, a shark bit Richard Vinall, a man in his 60s out for a swim on Port Noarlunga, leaving him fighting for life.
The horror attack came in the same period several sharks washed up on Adelaide's beaches, amid growing concerns over SA's marine life.
Numerous shark sightings have been made by locals, with authorities warning beachgoers to stay out of the waters.
Deputy Premier Susan Close, who is also the state's environment minister, told ABC that the state is experiencing a huge algal bloom that is not only 'driving the sharks away' but also 'poisoning them' and in some cases making them act more aggressively, comparing the size of the bloom to Kangaroo Island.
'It is an algal bloom that is toxic for fish and so that might explain some of the different behaviour,' she said.
'But also they're coming in closer and as people may have seen on Henley Beach which is a lovely tourist and metropolitan beach in Adelaide, there was a large white (white shark) that washed up, dying, and then, in fact, did die.'
Ms Close said the sharks were 'not behaving normally' in two ways.
'They're more numerous along our metropolitan coastline than we normally expect to see and also they appear to be in some distress and there's some talk of them being more aggressive,' she said.
Multiple sharks, along with other marine animals like stingrays and other fish, have been found beached since March this year.
'This is an enormous algal bloom. In some parts, we think it's about 20m deep,' Ms Close said.
OzFish has estimated nearly 200 species of fish had been killed by the deadly algal bloom, which Ms Close said can be attributed to last year's marine heatwave and a lack of winds that usually help break up the bloom.
'Not only is it poisonous (to fish) but also causes haemorrhaging of the skin and overnight it sucks oxygen out of the ocean beneath it which means that the kind of fish that can't move away are also suffocating,' she said.
'Because it's been unseasonably warm for so long, we have seen more people down by the beach wanting to go for a swim and that's why we have decided to increase the shark patrol for a little longer-than-normal.'
The SA government announced on Sunday that shark patrols along the state's coastline would be extended until the June long weekend.
South Australia has been hit by a string of fatal shark attacks this year.
In January, 28-year-old surfer Lance Appleby was attacked by a shark on Granites Beach in Streaky Bay in the Eyre Peninsula.
His body was never found.
Teenger Khai Cowley was killed in an attack off Ethel Beach in December, 2023.
Tod Gendle, 55, was attacked in October that year while he was surfing near Streaky Bay by a suspected 4m great white shark.
Teacher Simon Baccanello, 46, was believed to have been killed by a shark while surfing at Walkers Rock near Ellison on the state's west coast.
Ms Close warned locals swimming at the beach to be cautious of the 'threats out there'.
'The ocean is not behaving normally,' she said.
'This is exactly what we would expect to happen as climate change becomes more serious, and so really please pay attention'.
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