New SA fish kill among worst since algal bloom started
SA beachgoers are reporting thousands of dead fish washing up on city beaches despite the algal bloom showing signs of “clearing up” in metropolitan waters.
SA government spokesperson for algal bloom science Professor Mike Steer told InDaily that there has been an increased amount of dead sea life, in particular leatherjackets, washing up on metropolitan shores in recent days.
“In the last 24 hours, we’re getting reports of leatherjackets, bluefin whiting and a range of other fish washing up in large quantities, particularly along the metropolitan beaches, from Tennyson, Largs, Henley, West Lakes Shore, etc,” Steer said.
When asked on the ABC radio this morning whether the current fish deaths were some of the worst seen during the algal bloom, he said “most definitely”.
Professor Steer, the South Australian Research and Development Institute executive director, said the algal bloom was headed toward the southern Fleurieu Peninsula after “a complete lap of the gulf”.
“We understand that’s where the oceanographic currents are pushing. The Karenia has almost done a complete lap of the gulf in a clockwise direction, and it’s heading towards the southern Fleurieu,” he said
“We’re hoping that with the changing conditions that it’ll burn out, but we’re still monitoring those numbers on at least a weekly basis.”
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While fish deaths had increased on city beaches, Steer said at the same time, the organisation was seeing lower numbers of dead sea life on the Fleurieu Peninsula, along with beaches at Aldinga, Seacliff, Sellicks Beach, Victor Harbor and the northern coast of Kangaroo Island.
Asked why the dead sea life is washing up now when there were signs of the algal bloom clearing up from metropolitan beaches, Steer said the algal bloom was dynamic.
“We see it increase and decrease on the basis of the environmental conditions,” he said.
“Although we’re seeing a reduction of the overall footprint of the bloom, particularly along the metropolitan coast, there are signs of it clearing up, but what we do know is offshore in the deeper water … there’s a reservoir of Karenia species quite deep.”
Professor Steer said that leatherjackets in particular were being affected because the fish formed large schools at the bottom of the ocean where the algal bloom was present.
“Those fish and other gill-breathing organisms that are encountering that offshore bloom in deep water, obviously are suffering, and if they die, they’ll float to the surface and then they’ll eventually wash ashore,” he said.
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Professor Steer warned South Australians to call the algal bloom hotline or Fishwatch if they came across dead sea life, adding that it was best to leave the cleanup to beach cleanup crews.
“You’re working with decomposing fish. Some of those fish have spikes. It’s probably better to avoid them and ring up and report them, and that’ll activate a response,” he said.
Regular beachgoer and local beachside resident Greg Brown said he had seen thousands of dead fish, particularly leatherjackets, wash up on shore over the past 24 hours.
“When I go on walks, I figure I’ll pick up the fish because there are a million pictures of fish on the beach and everybody’s heartbroken, is the usual comment, but I figured, it’s more productive to do something like getting rid of them,” he said.
Brown said this morning he was sitting at the beach observing piles of dead fish.
“Since Monday morning, I came down to the beach and on the waterfront, I was seeing lots of small dead fish there. They’re leatherjackets, they’re about five centimetres long, and these are the common small fish that we’ve been seeing in the big wash-ups recently. I’m seeing five to 15 fish per metre of water’s edge, just depending on where they eddy up,” he said.
“And then, as you walk up the beach at low tide, you can see the ones that have been sort of dropped by the receding tide line. Then at the old high tide marks, which would have been the high tide from Sunday evening and potentially Saturday or Monday evening, there’s also been about the same number of in that line as well, they’re just drier.
“What we’re seeing at the moment is today’s sign of something that’s wrong, and that’s been wrong for months and months and months, and that is going to take a natural solution over a very long period of time.”
Greens Environment and Water spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young this morning posted on Facebook about encountering “thousands upon thousands” of dead fish at Seacliff.
“It’s devastating that once again we are seeing thousands of dead fish wash up on our beaches,” she told InDaily.
“The toxic bloom certainly hasn’t gone away. The death and destruction caused by the algal bloom is causing a lot of distress for South Australians who love our usually pristine beaches.”
