Worries over a lack of algal bloom human health data in SA – despite a deluge of concerns over sore throats, breathing issues and mental health impacts – has led experts to take matters into their own hands.
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.
One of the state’s leading experts on the algal bloom is rejecting suggestions of a cover-up over the likely species producing harmful brevetoxins, as latest testing reveals the SA spots with the highest readings.
Governments are defending their responses to the harmful algal bloom after a damning, 207-page Senate report was released yesterday. The Federal Environment Minister was at a Murray-Darling Basin summit at Adelaide Oval saying he’s considering its recommendations.
A damning federal inquiry report has been released, laying bare “just how ill-prepared both the state and federal governments were for this type of ecological and economic disaster”.
Latest data is showing the Karenia causing the state’s algal bloom could be disappearing from metropolitan waters, as a new study indicates the likely species producing harmful brevetoxins.
The Environment Protection Agency missed an entire year of SA water testing – just after River Murray floodwaters gushed into the sea – because a key staff member took leave, the algal bloom inquiry heard.
It is looking increasingly likely the former Liberal Opposition Leader – who pleaded guilty to drug supply charges – will make a state election tilt after releasing a 29-page algal bloom recovery plan. Watch the video.
Tough new fishing restrictions are being announced as latest data shows the algal bloom’s unprecedented impact on South Australia’s fish species. The seafood industry says it faces “probably the hardest journey that we have had in the history of commercial fishing”.
A South Australian research centre – key to testing the River Murray flood’s ‘horrible black plume’ in coastal waters – faces closure in April 2026 if crucial funding is not extended, a State Parliament inquiry has heard.
As vital environmental work in Coffin Bay wins a top national award its founder says the state’s harmful algal bloom has “completely changed the context” of oyster reef restoration.
News emerged in parliament yesterday that South Australia would share its harmful algal bloom story at a “really important” global forum. But the state government was tight-lipped over the detail.
Fishers – many struggling to catch squid or fish as the impact of the toxic algal bloom devastate their businesses – are winning new funding in the latest Summer Plan announcement from the State Government. The Premier announcing much of the bloom has cleared up.
South Australians are rapidly building new shellfish reefs to install in local waters in a bid to fight back against the toxic algal bloom over summer.
At the first hearing of the state parliament’s inquiry into the algal bloom crisis that’s killed tens of thousands of sea animals, the government’s response coordinator said worst-case scenario modelling could see the environmental disaster ebb and flow for “decades”.
More than 1600 kilograms of dead sea life was collected from SA beaches this week alone and a new $1.4 million protection plan for at-risk sea lions has been announced.
Nine great white sharks have washed up on SA beaches amid the state’s devastating algal bloom. Now the details of the necropsy reports have been revealed.
Inquiry hears the federal government was not aware of SA’s algal bloom impact until late May, despite its first detection in March. The Premier responds to the murky timeline and delivers the latest bloom update.
Effective methods for treating algal blooms have so far only been successful on outbreaks that are significantly smaller than SA’s bloom, a US expert says.
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.
Sardine and tuna growers are telling a federal inquiry unclear algal bloom information and “relentless” media coverage are impacting South Australian seafood producers despite their catch being safe to eat.
Five top scientists are calling for immediate new funds to fix critical gaps in algal bloom data. At the first federal inquiry public meeting in Seacliff, they called for more than $40 million to tackle the problem first flagged two years ago.
A 500-strong South Australian business has put a figure on its growing algal bloom losses in its submission to a federal inquiry, as a wave of job losses continues to hit the seafood industry. Public hearings on the algal bloom’s impact start in Adelaide this week.
Submissions pouring into the federal inquiry into South Australia’s devastating algal bloom crisis reveal the emotional toll the natural disaster has taken on coastal communities. Public hearings start in Seacliff next Tuesday. See the video.
Government support will flow to those affected by “significant ecological events” but the PM has stopped short of declaring SA’s algal bloom a natural disaster.
SA’s toxic algal bloom now affects nearly one third of the state’s coastline. With no end in sight, many South Australians are now looking for solutions.
While we cannot turn back time to implement the policy retrospectively, the opportunity is still there to be seized, if only our political leaders have the courage to do so, writes The Australia Institute director Noah Schultz-Byard.
More marine life could be added to the threatened species list as the opposition claims SA’s devastating algal bloom is “collapsing the ecosystem”.
An assessment of the devastation to marine animals caused by an unprecedented algal bloom will be fast-tracked by the federal government.
Tourism operators are seeing visitor numbers plummet as reports of a devastating algal bloom spread, with misconceptions it is affecting the entire coastline.
It’s hoped a $28 million funding package will help resolve an unprecedented environmentally disastrous algal bloom that’s killing thousands of sea creatures.
Protestors gathered at Santos’ Flinders Street headquarters this morning, demanding the fossil fuel company pay up to clean beaches amid the algal bloom crisis.
Even with targeted government assistance, many businesses in Marine Scalefish Fishery remain financially exposed, writes BDO Partner Anders Magnusson.
Swift action is needed to protect wildlife from a toxic algae bloom, a report warns, as the fate of a spectacular cuttlefish migration hangs in the balance.
An environmental issue that has decimated marine animals across Australia will be subject to a Senate inquiry after broad parliamentary support.
When the model is used to forecast how the algae bloom will evolve, the story becomes deeply concerning, writes Flinders University’s Jochen Kaempf.
The state government’s funding takes the total package to $28 million, supporting efforts to monitor the harmful algal bloom that’s turning SA’s coastlines into a mass marine graveyard.
Millions of dollars in federal funding have been pledged to tackle a massive and toxic algal bloom choking life along a state’s coast and waterways.
The harmful algal bloom causing widespread fish deaths along South Australia’s coastline has been detected at 12 metropolitan locations, new testing reveals.
Calls are growing for immediate federal support and intervention in South Australia’s algae crisis, as fishing and tourism industries struggle with the impact of a months-long bloom with no end in sight.
The SA government says it is focused on “practical support” for industries affected by an algal bloom, but fishermen say they need more than licence fee relief.
The state government will waive licence fees for fishers affected by a harmful algal bloom that’s caused widespread marine mortalities off the coast of South Australia.
A toxic algal bloom off the South Australian coast has forced some oyster farms to close, leading to calls for the state government to deliver financial support.
Adelaide writer and musician John Schumann – well known for his Vietnam veterans anthem “I Was Only 19″ – fears bureaucracy is slowing a full-scale attack on the algal bloom devastating our beaches, businesses and marine life.
State and federal ministers plan to feed 300,000 locals in South Australia’s Summer Plan to tackle the devastating impacts of the harmful algal bloom. The government dripped out other plans for a new app outlining beach blooms and safer swimming over the weekend.
Fears hotter summer temperatures will exacerbate the impacts of the algal bloom devastating South Australian beaches are prompting calls for an immediate action plan – as the government launches a bloom hotline. Read the latest bloom update.
The much-anticipated Algal Bloom Summer Plan has finally been released, with the state and federal governments committing $102.5 million to address the devastating algal bloom.
After the government’s dining cashback announcement this week, CityMag spoke to coastal hospitality businesses about “the waiting game” over the impact of SA’s algal bloom. Take our poll and tell us if you think $50 dining vouchers are enough.
