5 days ago
Horrified locals speak out after latest 'heartbreaking' scenes on Aussie beaches
Devastated locals are once again sharing their concerns after thousands of dead sea creatures — the latest victims of Australia's worst algal bloom — littered their beaches on Wednesday.
The mass kill left South Australian residents shaking their heads as they wandered along the shoreline stretching from Seacliff to Brighton, south of Adelaide, this week, dodging decaying fish, abalone, crabs, octopus and even a black swan.
'It's absolutely heartbreaking, especially in an area where we're trying to raise our children and to bring them to our local beach, and to see this is absolutely heartbreaking and we've got to do something about it,' local mum Amelia Crago told 7News after visiting the area.
More than 14,000 observations of dead marine animals have been recorded since the massive, toxic algal bloom first began to spread in March, impacting 450 species, but fisherman Roger Hopkins told the program the devastation this week was 'the worst' he had witnessed yet.
Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who has called for the Albanese government to declare the situation a 'national disaster' said Seacliff was just one of the many beaches that have 'become a marine graveyard' as the algae continues to destroy everything in its path across the coastline.
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Lifesaver hospitalised for three days after falling ill
It's also taking its toll on beachgoers, with Port Elliot lifesaver Rachel Kennedy revealing to The Advertiser this week that her asthmatic daughter recently ended up in the hospital with respiratory issues due to the algal bloom. She said her two daughters were on patrol when they both began to feel the effects, prompting them to close the beach and warn others not to enter the water.
'One of my daughters, who is asthmatic but had never been in hospital, ended up in hospital for three days… that was quite scary,' she told the publication.
South Australia's Department of Environment and Water (DEW) previously told Yahoo News it is keeping a close eye on the situation and carrying out daily testing of state waters, but there is not much the authorities can do to stop or reduce the impact of the algal bloom.
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However, following the outrage from locals this week, Premier Peter Malinauskas told 7News he's committing to building 15 hectares of new reef in 15 different locations along the state's coastline to help prevent future blooms.
The Malinauskas state government has connected the bloom to climate change and voiced concerns the problem will occur again. It is understood to have spoken to the Commonwealth about updating the 2018 Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, so future blooms can be declared natural disasters like floods or bushfires, streamlining the process for securing federal funding.
Late last month, it was announced the Albanese government had committed $14 million to help the state respond to the problem. The money is likely to be used to pay for the clean-up of dead marine life from SA's beaches, support impacted businesses, bolster community awareness about the bloom and invest in science and research to better understand the incident.
While Environment Minister Murray Watt has described the bloom and its impacts as 'incredibly disturbing', he said he's not able to officially declare the situation a natural disaster.
'There's no doubting whatsoever that this is a very serious environmental event facing South Australia,' Mr Watt said. 'We are in uncharted waters here.'
Dr Scott Bennett, from the University of Tasmania Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, previously told Yahoo News that a theory has emerged that the bloom is now 'fuelling itself'. 'The dead stuff is just decomposing, and all those nutrients are then recycling back into the system,' he said.
with AAP
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