‘Since Easter’: Fisher claims species has vanished amid algal bloom
In an emotional submission to the federal senate’s algal bloom public hearing in South Australia, a distraught commercial fisher said he has not caught any calamari since Easter.
Squid has vanished from the Western Fleurieu Peninsula, one fisher said today, in evidence given to the federal senate inquiry into the South Australian algal bloom crisis.
The committee, chaired by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, is holding its final public hearing today in Victor Harbor at the Victor Harbor Bowling Club following hearings in Seacliff on Tuesday, Port Lincoln on Wednesday, and Ardrossan on Thursday.
The committee will hold a final public hearing at Parliament House in Canberra on September 24.
Today’s hearing heard from Cape Calamari’s Nathan Eatts, Southern Fishermen’s Association’s executive officer Keith Rowling and Southern Rocklobster Limited’s executive officer Thomas Consentino.
Cosentino told the hearing that the algal bloom had not affected commercial Southern Rock Lobster fishing in South Australia, but that there was a significant catch rate decline for blue crab.
“Fishing for Southern Rock Lobster will kick off at the end of this month and generally runs to about Chinese New Year, and that’s why we haven’t seen any impacts in 2025 on commercial Southern Rock Lobster fishing,” he said.
“Blue crab, on the other hand, is unfortunately a different story; there has been a significant catch rate decline on the Gulf of St Vincent and the commercial operators in that gulf have elected to stop fishing.”
Cosentino said that fishing waters in the Spencer Gulf were holding up well and that fishers had not experienced a catch rate decline there yet.
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In an emotional submission, commercial calamari fisher Eatts said he owns a more than eight-tonne calamari quota, but had not caught any since Easter.
He said that from mid-February, he started to notice changes in the water and the way that squid were acting, and that by March, they had completely disappeared from the area where he was fishing.
“The only bit of hope I’m holding onto is that squid and calamari are the only things we haven’t seen wash up dead yet amongst all the other species,” he said.
Eatts called for in-depth assessments and action to address environmental damage and dish stock levels, as well as long-term financial support from the state and federal governments to help survive until fish stocks are at sustainable levels.
“It’s an extremely stressful time for myself and other commercial fishers, and our mental health is suffering. We’re watching our businesses that we’ve poured our heart and soul into for years and years just being destroyed, and there isn’t anything we can do about it,” he said.
Rowling said that “the fishing industry and the lakes in the Coorong are the first line of environmental stewards for the fishery and for the environment”.
“More broadly in this region, the fishery has been impacted by the bloom, in the first case via mortality event of pipi on the ocean beach, and then subsequently there’s been a closure through brevetoxin for the pipi fishery,” he said.
“Then within the estuary, there was a short-term Karenia algal bloom within the lagoon … more recently, that lower fish demand and lower prices have impacted on licence holders in the fishery.”
The committee then heard from the Spirit of the Coorong and The Big Duck Boat Tours general manager, Joel Hirsch, and Dr Alec Rolston, who is director of the Goyder Institute for Water Research and Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre.
Rowling said that “the fishing industry and the lakes and the Coorong are the first line of environmental stewards for the fishery and for the environment”.
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“More broadly in this region, the fishery has been impacted by the bloom, in the first case via mortality event of pipi on the ocean beach, and then subsequently there’s been a closure through brevetoxin for the pipi fishery,” he said.
“Then within the estuary, there was a short-term Karenia algal bloom within the lagoon … more recently, that lower fish demand and lower prices have impacted on licence holders in the fishery.”
Rolston said the Goyder Institute’s submissions made three central points.
“Firstly, this current algal bloom is not an isolated event but is part of a broader indication of ecological stress that is acting across our freshwater and marine environments,” he said.
“Secondly, the impacts are severe and wide-ranging. We heard earlier about the impacts on fisheries but also on other industries – livelihoods and businesses – but also biodiversity and ecology, cultural values and the wellbeing of communities and First Nations.
“The third point is that we emphasise the need for coordinated long-term investment in science partnerships to underpin decision-making for this current and future bloom events.”
Hirsch said, “The impact of harmful algal bloom has been no real disruption to operations at all throughout the bloom, particularly with Big Duck – we’ve still been on the water six days a week”.
“Thankfully for us, whales seem to trump algae; having that draw card has certainly been fantastic.
“For Spirit of the Coorong, I guess, the rhetoric around the algal bloom, perceptions around health and just general coastal environments, that perception versus reality that we’re seeing on water has caused fear amongst our consumers and an impact to tourism confidence.”
Other speakers included the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board general manager, Michael Garrod, and board member Professor Andrew Lower, Adelaide Coastal Councils Network chair and Onkaparinga councillor Gretel Wilkes, as well as the Coorong, Alexandrina, Kangaroo Island and Victor Harbor councils and the Kangaroo Island Tourism Association.
Coorong District Council’s submission said the Coorong region “has been impacted by a persistent marine algal bloom” and that “[t]his event represents a significant ecological crisis with broad environmental, economic, and social implications”.
It said local cultural heritage, including the area where Storm Boy (1976) was filmed, is under threat, as well as fishing waters used by First Nations people and sacred and culturally significant Aboriginal sites.
Kangaroo Island Council Mayor Michael Pengilly said that “recurring and prolonged algal blooms pose a serious long-term threat to Kangaroo Island’s marine ecosystems, local economy, and community wellbeing”.
“The potential consequences extend far beyond the immediate and devastating effect of the current bloom event,” he said.
He said more than 70 per cent of Kangaroo Island’s coastal area had been impacted, with important marine and tourism industries devastated by its effects, including Kangaroo Island Oysters and an abalone farm owned by Yumbah, which earlier this week claimed it had suffered a $5 million loss due to the persistent algal bloom impacts.
In Victor Harbor Council’s submission, CEO Victoria MacKirdy said the algal bloom “had considerable ecological, reputational and operational impacts on our region”, and that the algal bloom had affected community wellbeing, including eye and respiratory irritation.
Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance chair Wendy Campana said “[t]he emergence of algal blooms, particularly in sensitive marine park sanctuary zones in areas such as Nepean Bay and Pelican Lagoon, and across our northern coastline threatens the very essence of our tourism offering”.
