Fisherman shocked by 'unfathomable' scene at Aussie beaches: 'We're talking millions'
"It's a pretty grim scene,' Asher Dezsery from recreational fishers' peak-body Recfish SA told Yahoo News. 'Pipis [also known as cockles] have a strong probing foot that they dig down in the sand. So it's very rare that they'll sit on the surface unless they're sick, dying, or injured.'
Mass fish kills have been reported along the Fleurieu Peninsula, south of Adelaide, since mid-March, and surfers who have ventured onto the same beaches have also reported feeling ill. Dozens of kangaroos were also found dead and dying west of Goolwa in the town of Tunkalilla, and there have been widespread marine life kills around Kangaroo Island.
On March 23, testing confirmed the presence of a toxic algae, Karenia mikimotoi, which causes thick sea foam on beaches. When it becomes overabundant, the species can prevent shellfish and fish from breathing and cause allergic reactions in people. What's caused the bloom is yet to be determined, but experts believe it could be linked to high water temperatures or agricultural runoff.
Testing is yet to confirm the source of the latest kill at Goolwa Beach.
Worryingly, Recfish SA confirmed thick sea foam was discovered at Kingston in the southeast on Monday morning. It predicts close to 200km of coastline will be impacted by the latest die-off, and members of the group are taking samples of dead fish and pipis.
'It's really disappointing. I think it's safe to assume the entire cockle coast between the Murray Mouth and Kingston will be impacted by this, and more widespread deaths will occur,' Dezsery said.
'We're talking millions, unfathomable amounts.'
Due to the scale of the event, Recfish SA believes catch limits will need to be rethought. 'It's really important that we get this right, and we don't continue harvesting at the same level if the biomass has been cut down through that mortality event… There have been some events in the past, but nothing on this scale. It's unprecedented,' Dezsery said.
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The department of primary industries (PIRSA) confirmed with Yahoo on Monday that it has officers on the ground today, collecting shellfish and water for testing. It is liaising with multiple agencies to keep the public informed and isolate the cause of the deaths.
'While it is too early to confirm if there are any links to this weekend's event with the recent large-scale fish kill that occurred on the Fleurieu Peninsula, PIRSA does continue to liaise with Department for Environment and Water (DEW), EPA and SA Health,' it said.
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