‘Cyclone underwater': Why the algae disaster could hit Australia's east coast
On Tuesday, the South Australian government announced it will match funding promised by the federal government, bringing the total package to deal with the deadly Karenia mikimotoi outbreak to $28 million.
The outbreak of the toxic microalgae was first discovered in March on the Fleurieu Peninsula, and has since spread to the Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Gulf Saint Vincent and Spencer Gulf.
Beachgoers and scientists have documented a vast array of sea creatures washing up dead on beaches. An online citizen science project has identified 450 species killed by the bloom, with the most affected being Southern Fiddler rays.
'It's the biggest bloom of Karenia mikimotoi we've experienced in Australia, but [not] anywhere in the world,' said Professor Shauna Murray, a marine biologist at the University of Technology Sydney.
'There have been larger blooms of Karenia mikimotoi in northern China – it's been very problematic there.'
What caused the toxic algal bloom in South Australia?
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said three factors had contributed to the deadly outbreak. The 2022-23 Murray River floods, the biggest since 1956, had forced the largest volume of nutrients from the Murray-Darling system into the marine environment for 70 years.
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ABC News
15 hours ago
- ABC News
Search on for how and where SA's algal bloom started, and where it's going
As South Australia's algal bloom creeps along the state's coasts, scientists are trying to find out what caused it, where it started and where it is heading next. The current bloom was first reported on beaches on the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in March before spreading across the Gulf of St Vincent. The federal and state governments have committed a combined $28 million to tackle the issue, some of which will be spent on research. University of Technology Sydney harmful algae bloom expert Professor Shauna Murray said the impact of the bloom was unprecedented in Australia. Professor Murray said while it was important to understand the chain of events that led to the bloom, more important was understanding how it could be quickly detected "so we can be prepared to respond to it", she said. "If it occurs then we know what to expect, we know what areas it might affect, we might understand a bit better how it will affect those areas." Though the first reports linked to the bloom were on Waitpinga Beach, estuarine ecologist Faith Coleman thinks fish kills further south and east could have been connected. "Areas like Portland in Victoria, and looking at the Eight Mile Creek [south of Mount Gambier], those places have had over the last couple of years [seen] a series of smaller blooms, best we can tell," Ms Coleman said. "Although they weren't investigated at the time, each one of those periods of large fish kills have tied into an extreme event relating to a large amount of seagrass death and seaweed death, and either exceptionally cold or hot waters. "We suspect that this particular bloom started somewhere near Robe." While it was not yet clear exactly where the bloom started, Flinders University Associate Professor Jochen Kaempf is trying to predict where it is going. He has developed a computer model to predict how the bloom could be developing. "It very likely becomes weaker and might disappear, or looks like disappearing," Dr Kaempf said. "The big question is whether it will turn up again when it gets warmer in the next summer months. "Will it maybe appear in the Spencer Gulf? [That] is way more concerning in terms of its ecological significance. "We have the sardine stock, the prawns, the cuttlefish. That's a big concern." The state government has said a marine heatwave, nutrients washing into the sea from the 2022-'23 River Murray flood, and an "unprecedented" cold-water upwelling in the summer of 2023-'24 are plausible contributing factors to the bloom. Dr Kaempf discovered the Great Southern Australian Coastal Upwelling System and has been studying it for more than two decades. The event attracts a range of marine life, including dolphins and whales. Dr Kaempf said there would not be a relationship between the 2023-'24 upwelling and the current bloom as blooms develop over the course of one to two months. "It's just too long ago and not linked to the bloom that we're seeing now," he said. Ms Coleman said the impacts of the upwelling on the algal bloom are likely to be insignificant compared to the marine heatwave. "What happened is what always happens — which is that it blows a little bit of extra nutrients that it's accumulated over time up into the main water column," she said. "Those were immediately taken up by a diatom bloom that you could see from space." Ms Coleman said the government likely has not had time to rule out the upwelling or flood as contributing factors. "Even SARDI and PIRSA reports say quite clearly the primary cause is climate change," she said. South Australia's Department for Primary Industries and Regions was contacted for comment.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
SA disability employment provider Bedford hopes for government funding lifeline
Disability employment provider Bedford is hoping the federal government will throw it a financial lifeline to avoid the company entering voluntary administration. But Minister for Health, Ageing and Disability Mark Butler has warned the government does not usually put taxpayer money into a "failing organisation". In a statement on Thursday, Bedford said it would enter voluntary administration on Sunday, July 27 after an "exhaustive negotiation process with the state and federal governments, banking and commercial partners NAB". This morning on ABC Radio Adelaide, the organisation's chair Janet Miller said Bedford still hoped to avoid closure, and blamed the NDIS for its current position. ""We're hoping that we don't go into voluntary administration but if we do, what happens on Monday is out of our control, that would be up to the administrator," she said. "The model has evolved. It's very difficult to make the NDIS model work, it's not sustainable." Ms Miller said the organisation believed its strategy was "still sound" and that it had "a good balance sheet". She said the state government had already put money on the table and that the federal government was still considering it. "Our plea to stop us going into voluntary administration this week, we just need a commitment for that money to be available," she said. But Mr Butler told ABC News Breakfast, while talks were continuing, he believed the organisation's financial situation was dire. "We have been talking to them. It's not usual for the Federal Government to give money to an organisation that is failing financially before it goes into administration," he said. He reiterated those comments later on ABC Radio Adelaide. "I'm not clear that there wouldn't be the need for more money beyond the several weeks that that might give to them," he said. On Thursday, a federal government spokesperson said Bedford had received tens of millions of dollars in funding in the past 15 months alone. "The Australian government has been supporting the South Australian government's discussions with Bedford in recent weeks," the spokesperson said. According to its website, Bedford is the second-largest employer of people with disabilities in the nation, and has 22 sites across Adelaide and regional South Australia. The employment provider was established in April 1945 and has this year been celebrating its 80th anniversary. Employee Kym told ABC Radio Adelaide he had worked with the organisation for 11 years. "We were told that they're going to have a meeting with the president on Sunday and everyone would be notified what would happen," he said. "[We] could be closing down if we don't get the money to help us out." He said he felt "little bit sad" upon hearing the news but was trying to support his co-workers yesterday. Mr Butler said he felt for the employees. "I desperately want a future for Bedford," he said. "We understand very acutely the unique nature of this organisation, it's not just some other business that's got itself into difficulty. Premier Peter Malinauskas said his thoughts were primarily with the workers at Bedford, and the state government's offer for funding was still in place. "The question is the money that we do put on the table, does that best address those workers' future through the administration process or staving off administration and seeing a rebound plan initiated under Bedford's current economic arrangements," he said. "They are the deliberations that we've been working on frankly since May, June. We continue those discussions today." He said the state government's financial support would be conditional, but would not provide details on those conditions. "Not for one second do I think we should question the intent of the people that work there, including at the most senior levels of Bedford, the board, the CEO and the senior management, these are good people who want to do a good thing for the people they employed and the services they provide," he said.
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
Support ‘on the way' for South Australian marine life
Sky News Australia Reporter Monique Van Der Heyden says support is 'on the way' for South Australia's coast after dead marine life has been washed up on shore since March due to an algal bloom. 'Support is on the way for South Australian communities impacted by the toxic algal bloom in the form of a $28 million package,' Ms Van Der Heyden said. 'The funding will assist with further research as a new national testing laboratory will be established to detect algae and the harmful brevotoxin they produce. 'The $28 million is a one-off payment but the state government unlike the commonwealth has not ruled out any further support.'
