Latest news with #marineheatwave
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Hopes high after ocean temperatures off SA coast drop amid algal bloom outbreak
Ocean temperatures off South Australia's coast have dropped following storms this week, sparking hopes the toxic algal bloom will soon end. Offshore buoys looked after by Flinders University, which measure sea surface temperature, show it has dipped below 16 degrees Celsius at Robe for the first time in about two months. Ocean temperatures have also dropped near Adelaide and Victor Harbor. A buoy at West Beach recorded sea surface temperatures of 15.38C yesterday after reaching 16.56C on Sunday. A buoy at Victor Harbor saw a drop from 17.28C on Sunday to 16.56 yesterday. It follows a marine heatwave which saw ocean temperatures 2.5C warmer than usual, which led to an algal bloom outbreak spanning thousands of kilometres. Flinders University coastal studies professor Patrick Hesp said the drop was a glimmer of good news amid the bad weather which saw thousands without power, jetties damaged and coastal erosion. "We've seen quite significant erosion, but perhaps one of the positive effects is that there would be a significant amount of mixing because of those big waves," Professor Hesp said. In March, surfers reported sore eyes, coughing and blurry vision after visiting beaches west of Victor Harbor and since then marine life has been found dead along the eastern Yorke Peninsula, the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) identified the cause of the irritation and deaths as Karenia mikimotoi, a toxic microalgal bloom. PIRSA said water testing results to check whether the bloom had dissipated would be available early next week. Marine biologist and UTS researcher Shauna Murray, who helped authorities identify the bloom in March, said storms could be a circuit breaker. "Normally with strong weather conditions you would expect to see dissipation and things are being pushed out," she said. However, she said it was difficult to predict what would happen with this bloom because of its size. "It's complicated because it's a large bloom over a very big area," she said. "It's hard to know to what extent it's now seeding itself and it's continuing to grow, and to what extent it's just being dispersed into certain areas." Faith Coleman, an ecologist who has been testing water samples, said the weather would have flushed out waters — but the extent was not yet clear. "It may have happened totally or it may have happened partially," she said. "If it's only happened partially we may end up with bloom occurring, if we have sunny days after this, in places that [it hadn't]." Wild weather was experienced throughout South Australia earlier in the week with waves up to 5.6 metres recorded by a buoy off Robe on Monday night, along with similar heights north of Kangaroo Island and slightly smaller swell offshore of Victor Harbor. The strongest wind gust was 126 kilometres per hour, recorded at Neptune Island. Roanna Horbelt, who runs Research and Discovery Coastal Tours, Kangaroo Island, took TAFE students out on the sea off Emu Bay on Wednesday. After previously reporting dead fish and stingrays in the area, Ms Horbelt said the group was "very pleasantly surprised". "There's still particles in the water for sure, but I mean hardly any foam at all and the amount of birdlife and other life that we're seeing around there are looking a lot happier." The group saw a large pod of dolphins, along with hundreds of birds and seals. Dolphins that had previously disappeared in cloudy water just 1.5 metres deep were now clearly visible. "Yesterday, they seemed to be very joyful and back to normal and followed our boat for almost 20 minutes just riding the bow along the coastline, so we had about 80 of them doing that, so that was pretty special," Ms Horbelt said. "Everything seemed almost back to normal, fingers-crossed." Citizen scientist and aquatic instructor Lochie Cameron is one of the organisers of a forum on the effects of the algal bloom that is being held in Marion Bay, on the Yorke Peninsula, on Sunday. He believed the algal bloom would have a long-lasting impact. "I feel a bit grim about it," he said. "I think we're looking at a couple of decades-long recovery for these areas. "A lot of the species that have been impacted are long-lived species that take quite a long time to mature, so, yeah, I do hold quite a large concern for our sea dragons and boarfish and other benthic species as well."
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘The seabed is full of them': English fishers enjoy surprise octopus boom
Octopuses have long captivated humans with their alien-like appearance and bizarre anatomy. This spring, the cephalopods have been baffling, delighting and enraging fishers in English waters as an unprecedented marine heatwave has led to a surge in their numbers. The boom in octopus catches began to be seen in March in east Cornwall and Devon – as sea temperatures rose by between 2C and 4C above average spring temperatures. The hauls have been a boon for fishers. At Brixham market, where most of the catch is sold, tens of tonnes of octopus is being traded every day. Octopus fever has taken over the town; Octavia the octopus, a cephalopod-shaped light usually switched on at Christmas, is being turned on every night; while a nearby cafe has decorated itself with an octopus mural. Barry Young, the managing director of Brixham Trawler Agents, said 36 tonnes of octopus came through the market on Thursday – compared with about 200kg this time last year. 'It's a financial bonus for the fishermen,' Young said. 'They're grabbing it with two hands while they can. The boats, they fish for certain species, we fish for 'bottom fish', which is called a demersal species. We would catch plaice, dover sole, brills, turbots, anything sort of bottom-dwelling. 'Luckily for us and the fleet that we deal with, the octopus seems to be a bottom-dwelling fish as well.' Ian Perkes, who has owned a fish merchant in Brixham harbour for 49 years, said it was the first time in his career he had seen the giant molluscs. 'It's down to climate change because it's only this year that they've been here,' he said. 'We've not seen them before, this time last year, they were on the French side of the water and the French were filling up with them.' Perkes said octopuses were normally caught off the coast of Morocco and Mauritania, where it is a 'massive, massive business' but they have been coming north as the water off the coast of England was much warmer. The surge in octopus numbers has been a bonus for English fishing because there is no quota and a big market, especially in Spain, fetching £8 a kilogram at auction. The 22-tonne catch brought in on Tuesday would be worth about £170,000, Perkes explains. Approximately 70-80% of the fish and seafood caught is sold abroad. 'They're a shot in the arm for the fishermen, like a massive bonus, because there's no quota. They're making incredibly good money,' Perkes said, adding that the octopuses were being swept up across the industry. 'They're getting caught in all methods of fishing,' he said. 'Caught in cuttlefish pots, in crab pots by trawlers, by the beamers. The seabed is full of them.' The flip side to the boom in the UK is that the industry is struggling in Spain, where many companies have processing facilities and employ hundreds of people in Morocco and Mauritania. And not everyone in the UK industry is pleased. There was some tension among fishers specialising in crab and lobster when they discovered the octopuses entering the pots and eating the shellfish inside. The octopus – which has nine brains and three hearts – uses its beak to break the crab or lobster shell. It then injects enzymes that help dissolve the meat before sucking it out. 'Some of the boats have seen that, where the octopuses are prolific in certain areas, they have seen a dramatic drop off in crab and lobster,' Young said. The Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (D&S IFCA) enforce a bylaw requiring 'escape gaps' to be fitted to crab and lobster pots to enable undersized shellfish to escape – a conservation measure to protect juvenile crabs and lobsters and allow them to escape. It is through these escape hatches that the fishers believe the octopuses are entering and leaving after they have eaten the creatures within. The D&S IFCA said the holes could be closed if fishers were trying to catch octopuses only, and it was working on trying to find a long-term solution. Marine biologists said the spike in marine temperatures this spring was unprecedented. It began in early March and is continuing into the end of May. As human-induced climate breakdown continues to raise global temperatures, the frequency of marine heatwaves is increasing, with the UK being subjected to spikes in sea temperature more frequently. According to Dr Marta Marcos, at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies in Mallorca, Spain, who led a study into marine heatwaves, half of the sea warming since 2000 would not have happened without global heating. Carli Cocciardi, a marine nature recovery officer at Devon Wildlife Trust, said there had been a surge in octopuses in English waters recorded in the 1900s, the 1950s and briefly in 2022. 'We're unsure why this surge is happening,' she said. 'But the main reason seems to be warmer waters, so climate change, a sea temperature rise. It could be also changes in prey availability or ocean currents.' Cocciardi said they were medium to large octopuses that could grow up to 1.3 metres in length and were 'very intelligent animals'. She said there was no quota and as it was a new phenomenon it was uncertain what would happen in terms of management. But she added the authorities would 'make sure it was sustainable' if it became a permanent feature in English waters. 'We're just going to have to keep an eye on it,' she said.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Invading hoard of octopuses from the Mediterranean devour shellfish caught by British fishing crews - leaving shortages at restaurants
An invading horde of hungry octopuses from the Mediterranean is decimating crab fisheries in British waters. Shellfish wholesalers say the huge influx has resulted in swingeing cuts to restaurant orders, leaving chefs scrambling to keep their kitchens stocked. The canny octopuses, thought to have been lured north in their thousands by unusually warm UK waters, have learned to raid fishermen's pots through a small 'escape hatch' – designed to allow juvenile crabs and lobsters to crawl free. And while they will dine on all shellfish, crab is considered their favourite prey. The owner of one Devon boat, Brian Tapper, of Plymouth, said: 'The octopuses are ruining us. They're coming in the side hatch – it's like McDonald's for them. They are just sitting in there until they're full. They'll go through 50 pots eating lobsters, crabs and even scallops. By the time we come along, there's nothing left.' Barry Young, of Brixham Trawler Agents, said the octopuses were 'decimating the crab fishery', although boats targeting them were enjoying a bonanza, with more than 27,000kg of the cephalopods landed at Brixham on a single morning last week. 'We'd normally be lucky to get 500 kilos,' said Mr Young. 'Long-term, it will be a massive problem for restaurateurs who are trying to source shellfish.' He added that the last time Brixham saw octopus catches on a similar scale was more than 70 years ago, when spring sea temperatures were also high. The current 'marine heatwave' has meant southern UK waters are around 2.5C higher than normal. At The Winking Prawn restaurant in Salcombe, manager Andrew Hartle said his Brixham crab order had been cut by a quarter. He added: 'We're lucky because we also work directly with three or four Salcombe boats and can ring around to get what we need. But it's clear that crab is in very short supply. 'Restaurants with a single supplier are going to have problems.' Pot escape hatches are mandatory under a by-law imposed by the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (D&SIFCA). It will consider next month whether permit rules can be eased. In a statement, the authority said it was aware of 'significant difficulties being experienced by the fishing industry… in respect of predation by octopus'. It added: 'Fishers are reporting that the entry and exit to pots may be through escape gaps fitted in pots. D&SIFCA is aware that this is having an impact on fishers' catches of shellfish and their livelihoods.'
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Times
Ireland weather: Unsettled weekend ahead as cooler conditions and rain spread across country
Outbreaks of rain and drizzle will spread eastward across the country on Friday afternoon into evening, according to Met Éireann . However, the forecaster said rainfall amounts will be small, especially in southern areas. The weather in Ireland over the coming days will be 'cooler and breezier than recent times' and generally unsettled with rain and showers, it said. There will be mist and hill fog on Friday afternoon, with highest temperatures between 15 and 19 degrees. READ MORE Rain will clear from eastern parts of Ulster and Leinster early on Friday night. It will stay mostly cloudy with patches of drizzle, mist and fog. Saturday morning will be generally cloudy with scattered patches of light rain, mist and fog. A spell of heavier and more persistent rain will extend across the country from the southwest through the afternoon and will be followed by scattered showers, some heavy. [ 'Extreme' marine heatwave recorded in waters off Irish coast Opens in new window ] It will become increasingly breezy, with moderate-to-fresh southwesterly winds developing and highest temperatures between 14 and 19 degrees. Saturday night will see a mix of clear spells and scattered showers, with a few heavy ones possible in the northwest early in the night. Sunday will be a noticeably cooler and fresher day, with sunny spells and scattered showers. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in a fresh westerly breeze. Showers will become mainly confined to the north and west on Sunday night. Cloud will increase overnight and may bring some rain or drizzle into the southwest towards morning. [ 'This keeps me awake at night': How will Ireland's climate worsen over the next 20 years? Opens in new window ] Monday is due to be unsettled, with rain or showers across the country and highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees. Tuesday is set to be 'cloudy and wet' with rain extending from the southwest. Highest temperatures will be between 13 and 16 degrees.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Octopus invasion ‘decimating' shellfish industry
An invasion of Moroccan octopuses is decimating the shellfish industry after warmer waters from a 'marine heatwave' drew the sea creatures north. The highest spring sea temperatures for 70 years and plentiful shellfish harvested by fishermen off the Devon coast have attracted thousands of octopuses from the Mediterranean. While some fishermen have benefited by landing between four and six tonnes of octopuses a day, those harvesting crabs, lobsters and scallops have seen their catches decimated by the hungry cephalopods. One Devon by-law requires that crab pots must have an escape hatch so that the juvenile crabs can escape. However, this means that the octopuses can enter the pots and eat the crabs and lobsters inside, leaving just a trail of shells for the fishermen to pick up. Brian Tapper, a fisherman, said: 'The octopuses are coming in the side hatch. It's like McDonalds for them. They are just sitting in there until they are full. They are just going along a whole string of pots. 'They will go through 50 pots, leaving empty pots and a few shells from lobsters, crabs and even scallops. They take the scallops in there to eat. It is almost like they are using it as a hole. It's safe. Once they are finished, off they go.' He warned that if it continued, the local fish processing factory would have to close within the next five to six weeks, with the boats then having to be tied up a couple of months later. Barry Young, of Brixham Trawler Agents, described the influx as 'an invasion' and said the octopuses were 'decimating the crab fishery at the minute'. He said: 'At this morning's auction, we got 27 tonnes of these Mediterranean octopuses. We would normally be lucky to get 500kg [1,100lb]. 'Long term, it could be devastating for the shellfish industry in the UK if these octopuses stay. Unless we see a reduction in these octopuses, we won't see any shellfish.' There are also concerns about a shortage of crabs, scallops and lobsters in restaurants and fishmongers. However, other fishermen are welcoming the arrival of the octopuses, as they fetch a high price when sold in Europe. The Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) held an emergency meeting last week to consider relaxing the rules under the bylaw to try to protect the shellfish industry. It said it was aware of the current significant difficulties being experienced because of the 'predation of octopus within shellfish pots'. The authority said it was in the process of gathering information and evidence, which would be presented to IFCA's bylaw and permitting sub-committee on June 26, when issues relating to the octopus industry would be considered in more depth. The octopuses have been attracted by seas around the UK coast that are 2.5 degrees celsius warmer than would normally be expected at this time of year. Fishermen said it last happened in 1952 but there are concerns that climate change could mean it becomes a more regular occurrence.
