Latest news with #GreatSouthernReefFoundation
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Cyclone underwater': Why the algae disaster could hit Australia's east coast
Second, during the following summer, a longer-than-ever Bonney Upwelling – the natural phenomenon in South Australia that brings up nutrient-rich water from deepwater to the surface – was recorded. Loading Finally, the ongoing marine heatwave means the waters around South Australia have been 2.5 degrees hotter than usual since last year. 'That allowed the algae, that was always there, to explode in its volume,' Malinauskus told reporters on Tuesday. 'It is reasonable to assume that we will see other events of this nature elsewhere in the country and other parts of the world.' Could it happen on Sydney or Melbourne coastlines? Murray said this was not only possible but 'quite likely', given it has already happened in the eastern states on a smaller scale. Murray said previous outbreaks of Karenia mikimotoi in NSW and Victoria, as well as other harmful algal blooms, had affected fishing and aquaculture by making fish unsafe to eat. 'In terms of water column conditions and how similar it would be on the [east] coast, we have upwelling events ... we've had marine heatwaves, we've had all of those things,' Murray said. Loading Can anything be done to fix the algal bloom? The SA government has said 'nothing can be done naturally to dilute or dissipate the bloom'. Murray said Korea and Japan had decades of experience dealing with harmful algal blooms affecting aquaculture facilities, and had researched several strategies, including sprinkling clay into the water to sink the algae. Yet this had not been studied in the Australian environment. 'We simply don't have any data to back up whether any of those methods would work, and most importantly, whether or not they would actually cause additional damage to the marine environment,' she said. How is it harmful to marine life? Karenia mikimotoi has choked ecosystems of oxygen, killing everything from bivalves, worms and cuttlefish to sharks, rays and dolphins. 'It's similar in effect to a cyclone underwater,' Murray said. Marine scientist Janine Baker from the Great Southern Reef Foundation said there would be long-term and widespread environmental, social and economic impacts. 'It's dreadful – I've never seen anything like this in the 35 years I've been working in the marine environment,' Baker said. 'What concerns me is that because there are so many vacant niches now, it will promote the settlement of opportunistic and potentially invasive species.' She said there were already introduced species from overseas and eastern Australia – such as long-spined sea urchins – and the problem was increasing with warming southern oceans. Why won't the federal government declare it a national disaster? Federal Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt has said the Commonwealth Natural Disaster Framework was designed for events such as bushfires and cyclones, and the algal bloom did not fit the bill. He argued the point of declaring a natural disaster was to unlock funding, and this was moot because he obtained $14 million in federal assistance anyway. Dr Scott Bennett from University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies said the government should treat the bloom as a natural disaster. 'The federal government needs to not treat this as an isolated event or a localised event – this is symptomatic of a broader national issue,' Bennett said. 'We're seeing more intense and more frequent marine heatwaves occurring around the country.' What scientific research needs to happen? Loading The SA government said the $28 million package will include beach clean-up, assistance for affected businesses and $13.5 million earmarked for science and monitoring. That includes $8.5 million for a coastal monitoring network, $3 million for rapid assessment of fish stocks using remote underwater video surveys and dive surveys, and $2 million for a new national testing laboratory in South Australia for harmful algal bloom and brevetoxin/biotoxin testing. (At present, samples are sent to New Zealand for analysis.) The catastrophe is affecting the Great Southern Reef, a rocky reef rich in biodiversity that extends from NSW, around the southern side of the continent and up the coast of Western Australia. Bennett and other research partners in the Great Southern Reef Foundation have called for $40 million over 10 years for baseline research into the reef. However, Bennett acknowledged the research focus needed to be on South Australia right now, first diagnosing the extent of the problem and then focusing on key habitat recovery. Fortunately, the state already had experience restoring kelp forests, seagrass meadows and oyster reefs damaged by run-off, he said. 'They've got a really strong track record in large-scale habitat restoration.'
Sydney Morning Herald
21-07-2025
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A dead shark, dead rays, dead fish, dead cuttlefish': The toxic algal bloom is spreading
The toxic algal bloom that has killed sharks, rays, fish, dolphins and seals along thousands of kilometres of South Australian coastline is now in its fourth month with no sign of abating, as pressure mounts on the federal government to declare a national disaster. An outbreak of the microalgae, Karenia mikimotoi, has sucked all the oxygen from the water, killing fish, marine mammals, invertebrates, seaweed and sea grasses. Great Southern Reef Foundation co-founder Stefan Andrews said great swaths of the ocean are giant dead zones with neon-green water and floating carcasses, with at least 450 marine species affected in the past month, according to citizen science reports. 'What's really disturbing when you're underwater is you see all these fish and everything that have died on the bottom, but there are no decomposers, no crabs and molluscs that usually you would find on dead fish carcasses eating away and recycling those nutrients,' Andrews said. 'There's just this gross, slimy mould, a sort of slime, that's forming over those fish and the algae itself will feed on, engulfing the decomposing fish that have already suffered and died from the algae bloom, so it's further fuelling itself through the dead things, which just really shocking to see.' In March, Andrews started hearing reports from friends on the Fleurieu Peninsula of rare fish washing up on the beach, and there were credible reports the algal bloom extended as far south as the Victorian border. By early July it stretched into urban areas around Adelaide and into the Spencer Gulf, and Andrews said there were fears it could disrupt the winter cuttlefish aggregation for winter egg laying near Whyalla. 'There was a lot of hope that as water temperature would drop, then that would stop the harmful algal bloom spreading, but that hasn't been the case,' Andrews said. 'They were also saying storms might break it up but hasn't been the case. The water doesn't get any colder now, so the experts are predicting it's not going away this winter and might be around for some time.' Environment Minister Murray Watt has said the event was occurring only in state waters, but the federal government would consider a request for assistance from the state government. He is in Adelaide but an announcement is yet to be made.
The Age
21-07-2025
- Science
- The Age
‘A dead shark, dead rays, dead fish, dead cuttlefish': The toxic algal bloom is spreading
The toxic algal bloom that has killed sharks, rays, fish, dolphins and seals along thousands of kilometres of South Australian coastline is now in its fourth month with no sign of abating, as pressure mounts on the federal government to declare a national disaster. An outbreak of the microalgae, Karenia mikimotoi, has sucked all the oxygen from the water, killing fish, marine mammals, invertebrates, seaweed and sea grasses. Great Southern Reef Foundation co-founder Stefan Andrews said great swaths of the ocean are giant dead zones with neon-green water and floating carcasses, with at least 450 marine species affected in the past month, according to citizen science reports. 'What's really disturbing when you're underwater is you see all these fish and everything that have died on the bottom, but there are no decomposers, no crabs and molluscs that usually you would find on dead fish carcasses eating away and recycling those nutrients,' Andrews said. 'There's just this gross, slimy mould, a sort of slime, that's forming over those fish and the algae itself will feed on, engulfing the decomposing fish that have already suffered and died from the algae bloom, so it's further fuelling itself through the dead things, which just really shocking to see.' In March, Andrews started hearing reports from friends on the Fleurieu Peninsula of rare fish washing up on the beach, and there were credible reports the algal bloom extended as far south as the Victorian border. By early July it stretched into urban areas around Adelaide and into the Spencer Gulf, and Andrews said there were fears it could disrupt the winter cuttlefish aggregation for winter egg laying near Whyalla. 'There was a lot of hope that as water temperature would drop, then that would stop the harmful algal bloom spreading, but that hasn't been the case,' Andrews said. 'They were also saying storms might break it up but hasn't been the case. The water doesn't get any colder now, so the experts are predicting it's not going away this winter and might be around for some time.' Environment Minister Murray Watt has said the event was occurring only in state waters, but the federal government would consider a request for assistance from the state government. He is in Adelaide but an announcement is yet to be made.
Perth Now
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Grim call on algal bloom horror
Environment Minister Murray Watt is heading to Adelaide amid mounting pressure on the Albanese government to act on the toxic algal bloom festering off South Australia's coast. Suffocated by the bloom, thousands of dead sea animals have been washing up on South Australian beaches for months. The bloom, which is thought to be the product of severe east coast flooding in 2022, has reportedly grown to twice the size of the ACT. Thousands of sea animals are washing up on South Australian beaches. Stefan Andrews / Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied The dead marine life includes rays, sharks and seahorses. Stefan Andrews / Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Senator Watt will on Monday brief cabinet on the catastrophe before flying from Canberra to Adelaide. 'We've said consistently that we're willing to support the South Australian government as they manage this event and the visit that I'm paying today will ensure that I can keep the cabinet well informed about what the situation is and what support may be required,' he said. Environment Minister Murray Watt says there is no 'overnight' fix to the algal bloom. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia He also said it was 'a naturally occurring phenomena that is not going to be solved overnight'. 'We all want to see those beautiful beaches return to the state they're normally in,' Senator Watt said. 'We want to be able to see recreational and commercial fishers be able to get back to what they're doing and we want to see all those incredible species returned to health. 'We will continue working to support the South Australian government's response.' The visit to Adelaide signals a change in the Albanese government's handling of the issue. Senator Watt insisted as recently as last Friday that it was a state issue, brushing off concerns from the Greens and state-level MPs.
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Never seen before': Shock pics of algal bloom
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has spoken about the devastating toxic algal bloom in his home state of South Australia as new pictures reveal the scale of the disaster. It follows accusations that 'virtually nothing' has been done by the federal government about the bloom. The algal bloom, called Karenia mikimotoi, is a naturally occurring but deadly phenomenon that has killed marine life in the southern state for months. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has been pressuring the government to declare the toxic algae a 'national disaster'. 'If this was happening in Bondi, or on the North Shore in Sydney, the Prime Minister would have already been on the beach, talking to concerned locals and the affected industries,' Senator Hanson-Young said on Wednesday. 'But today, we've had virtually nothing from the federal government.' Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has been calling for the government to do more. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Butler, who represents the Hindmarsh electorate in Adelaide's west, spoke out about the devastation on Sunrise. 'We've never seen a bloom like this, of this scale, of this duration anywhere in Australia,' he said. 'It is incredibly serious. 'I was walking on the beach on the weekend, I saw a dead shark, dead rays – a number of dead rays – dead fish, dead cuttlefish, things I've never seen before in the decades of walking along Adelaide's beaches.' Mark Butler defended the government's response to the algal bloom. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia He said the federal government was working closely with the South Australian government to monitor the bloom but insisted that it was a 'huge ecological event' that couldn't be controlled any more 'than we can make it rain during a drought'. 'We have to understand the impact it is having on communities, and it's a huge impact on the Adelaide community, I can tell you, but also on businesses, on commercial enterprises, particularly in the fishing industry,' Mr Butler said. South Australia's marine ecosystem is being rocked by a harmful algal bloom. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Shocking footage shows the scale of dead marine life. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Great Southern Reef Foundation (GRSF) video captures the scale of the disaster, showing dead fish, discoloured water and decaying coral along South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. GRSF co-founder Stefan Andrews said: 'With neon green water, the seabed was littered with dead and dying animals.' The ecosystem is being damaged by the deadly algae across the state. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied GRSF co-founder Stefan Andrews described the 'neon green water' that was 'littered with dead and dying animals'. Great Southern Reef Foundation Credit: Supplied Environment Minister Murray Watt previously said the government was 'deeply concerned by the widespread marine species mortalities caused by this extreme event' and he was getting updates from the Malinauskas government. 'We will give careful consideration to any request for assistance we receive from the state government,' he said.
