July 31, 2025 • 15 mins
The Toxic Algal Bloom has now wiped out over 450 marine species, while our tourism and aquiculture sectors struggle to survive. Over the next two weeks, we'll dive into the science behind the perfect storm, its catastrophic impact on marine biodiversity and coastal industries, and try to figure out what needs to happen next.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi, I'm Jackie Limb with iHeart Essay. This week we
take a look at the cause and the measures being
taken to improve the scenes of despair on South Australia's coastlines.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The species of algae it's ever present, usually in low numbers,
but the marine heat wave and previous floodwater events lots
of floodwater nutrient rich coming from interstate in particularly in
New South Wales. We had some of the largest floodwaters
come out of the Korong over the last three years
and also strong offshore winds creating upwelling events. So all
(00:36):
that has provided a nutrient payload which has enabled the
algae to bloom. That was detected certainly by March as
things were starting to wash up, but it may have
started several months earlier.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Marine scientists dominate McAfee. There more from him later on.
The toxic algill bloom has now wiped out over four
hundred and fifty marine species, while our tourism and aquaculture
sectors struggle to survive. Over the next two weeks, we'll
dive into the science behind the bloom, its catastrophic impact
on marine biodiversity and coastal industries, and we'll try to
(01:08):
narrow in on what needs to happen now. So, after
months of calling for assistance, the federal government last week
committed fourteen million dollars to the cause, something Premier Pete
Malanowskis called a great first step to recovery.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, we certainly welcome the federal government making what is
it is a significant financial contribution. Forteen million dollars are
going to go a long way, and of course we'll
be partnering with the Commonwealth with a similar amount of funding,
which will make a big difference on the ground. But
I think it's important for people to realize this is
genuinely an unprecedented event. We've never seen anything like this
in our country before. We've never seen an algal bloom
(01:41):
of this scale doing this much damage. It's a big deal,
and I'm very grateful the federal government came to the fore.
I mean, from the state government's perspective, I think it
is important we do acknowledge as a natural disaster. I
don't think we should be getting caught up in weezer words.
It's a natural disaster. It's no different to when we
see a flutter or a fire, except of course, this
isn't something we've seen before, and I think it's important
(02:02):
we remain vigilant and continue to respond certainly as the
science evolves and we seem to learn more about this
every single day that goes by.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Of course, that money was then matched by the State
government the very next day, bringing the fund to twenty
eight million dollars.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I am very pleased to confirm today that the State
government matching that funding contribution, and I am able to
provide substantial detail in exactly what is underpinned the dollar
amounts that we have talked to and where the funding
will be allocated. For some time, the South Australian Government
has been working in great detail to assess how a
(02:36):
significant funding package could make a substantial difference regarding the
algill bloom challenge, not just today for industry and others,
but also in terms of how we planning and prepare
for the future.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So to break it down, basically, eight point five million
dollars will go towards coastal monitoring, two million dollars will
be used to create a dedicated national testing facility, a
rapid fish and biodiversity assessment will get underway, to the
tune of three million dollars. The Community Support and Resilience
Fund will be boosted by three million with mental health
(03:09):
and well being programs that impacted fishes and coastal workers.
One million dollars will be spent on cleaning up along
our coastline, and emergency relief grants of up to ten
thousand dollars will be made available to oyster farmers, aquaculture
operators and wild fisheries. Our reporter Chris Gascott spoke to
Minister for Primary Industries Clais Scriven about why there was
(03:30):
such a delay in response time from the government.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Back four months ago there was the bloom emerged. Obviously,
we were seeing dead sea life and we were ramping
up the monitoring and make sure that the science was happening.
The scientific work behind the scenes was happening. Now the
experts were able to say there's been outcle blooms around
the world for a very long time. There's been We've
(03:54):
had them here in South Australia before, back in Cosson
Day around by twenty fourteen, and so the expectation was
that as we came into winter, there would be rougher weather,
there would be colder temperatures, less sunshine and all of
those things could be expected to dissipate the algal bloom.
Notwithstanding that the monitoring, of course was continuing, the testing,
(04:14):
the ongoing efforts of SAUDI, the Southstralian Research and Development
Institute and PERSA in conjunction with Department of Environment and Water,
there's been a working group across all of the relevant
departments that's been meeting weekly. So as the bloom has continued,
obviously the impacts have increased because of duration of the bloom,
(04:36):
and so whilst we continued to hope that it would
dissipate based on weather, we needed to also prepare for
the fact that it may not. So that's where the
work has been going on across different departments. Will also
been working with the Commonwealth about what we considered would
be necessary if this did continue. And then the outcome
(04:57):
of all that is the twenty eight million dollar package
we've been able to announce and.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
Just quickly, how quickly can we expect to see some
of these measures implemented, because of course there's a lot
of moving parts within this. What are some of the
things that we expect to see right away to be
able to help you.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
That's a really good question, because it is very much
a moving feast. It's an evolving situation, both in terms
of the science but also in terms of the impacts
on individuals. So we all have some more to say
within the next week in regards to things such as
the small business support. In terms of some of those
other aspects, that work is already starting. So for example,
(05:33):
we need to have really updated assessment of fish stocks.
That's the key, and I guess with my portfolio covering fisheries,
I'm particularly concerned around that. If we have those stock
assessments that work, the planning works, so that can start immediately. Obviously,
some of the planning has already occurred, but in terms
of actually making it happen on the ground, that's the
next step. And we really need to know that because
(05:56):
whilst we can be confronted by what's what we're seeing
washed up on the beaches, we need much more evidence
in regards to what is the impact, how many, what
does it mean for the spawning, what does it mean
for the existing stocks, what does it mean for the future.
One other thing I would just like to mention as well, though,
is some of the concerns around people you're walking on
(06:17):
beaches and so on, and we can just repeat the
health advice that we have, which is if there's no
discolored foam or discolored water, then you can be confident
that there's not an issue with walking on the beach,
for example, or even going into the water. That's pretty
cold to do that these days, but I'm sure some
people still like to do so. But where there is
(06:37):
the foam or the discolored water, people may well experience
analergic reaction itchy skin, mortaring eyes, watering noses, that sort
of thing. But again, all of the evidence so far
shows that you know much, you wash that off, then
it doesn't continue and it doesn't create any ongoing health hazards.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
We'll have more on essays algal bloom coming up after the.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Break my Heart Essay, My Heart Essay.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Welcome back as we deep dive into our toxic waters.
Of course, Australia is no stranger to natural disasters, but
what's happening right now off the coast of essay, is different.
It's quite a less visible, but just as devastating. For
another take on how the situation's being handled and how
it came to be, I spoke to Marine scientists from
Adelaide UNI Doctor Dominic McAfee.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Some of the affected areas that have had the bloom
in situe for many months, we've seen widespread mortality. I
think the counters at about four hundred and eighty different
species that have been recorded by these citizens scientists sharing
that knowledge and providing a community driven database or mortality
(07:48):
database on how the bloom is affecting species. But there's
so much more going on under the water that we
can't see. Just in the last couple of days, I
was diving in Stansbury and other areas which have had
the bloom for many months, and I'm seeing a thinning
of the sea grass beds. Some sea grass species are
(08:10):
doing very well and others are dying off sponges and acidians,
things that naturally clean and filter the water, almost complete
mortality of both. So there's not many systems that have
been spared. But one of the ones that I work on, shellfish.
Reefs formed by oysters look like they have got some
(08:32):
level of resilience that's at least providing a small amount
of encouragement that these systems will be able to bounce back. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, Well that leads into my next question. So, you know,
the kelp forests and shellfish reefs, if they should be
depleted or lost, how does their loss affect and reduce
natural resilience to future events like this because they do
help clean the water.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
As you say, yeah, that's a really important question, and
that's why I'm particularly interested in those habitat forming species,
those marine ecosystems that provide the habitat for the little
things that big things feed on. So we call shellfish reefs,
oyster reefs, and clp forests, you know, the natural fish
factories of the sea, because that's where the nursery habitats
(09:15):
where a lot of little fish live and they will
grow up and move to offshore systems before they become
part of our productive fisheries. So the loss of those
foundations is absolutely devastating. And what we're going to need
to understand is how long it takes for those to
come back, or where there is pockets of resilience. And
(09:37):
as I mentioned that native oysters seem to have a
level of resilience. They've been filtering and feeding on this
algae for months, and in many parts of the coast
where I've observed them, they still look to be doing
very well, and in doing that, as they're filtering, they're
drawing down the amount of nutrients that's available, and they're
also drawing down the algae as well, removing it from
(09:59):
the world or column. Conserving those and also restoring those
systems is going to be a really important part of
the recovery.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
We say that most of the shellfish reefs, the oyster farms,
they're not doing too badly, but several have had to close.
There's been one in Goolwa, several on the York and
Air peninsulas having to close. What does it mean for
them who are trying to make a livelihood off this industry.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Absolutely, yeah, it's absolutely devastating. I feel my heart really
goes out to oyster farmers. I work with a fair
few of them across the state. They have to keep
going out day after day in sometimes pretty tough conditions
to manage that stock and keep it alive, but they
can't sell the stock. Yeah, there's very good biosecurity to
make sure that when farmers produce safe products to eat,
(10:45):
so we can maybe take some encouragement that they're quite
proactive in keeping their consumers safe. But it's absolutely devastated.
For the industries, and they do need government support to
make sure that they have immediate help in getting through
this bloom and also longer term, long the term help
(11:05):
because some of the fisheries, so the native oysters, they're
doing all right, some of the oysters, but cockles have
been absolutely devastated, and muscles that seem to be fairly
susceptible to the algae as well. So there's going to
be Each industry is going to be impacted in different
ways into different severities, So there's going to need to
(11:26):
be a lot of a lot of economic and I
suspect mental well being support for these industries going forward.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, which is of course all part of this twenty
eight million dollar commitment from the federal and state governments.
Do you believe that that amount of money is adequate
to help out or what would a fully funded response
look like In your opinion.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
I'd say it's certainly a welcome start, and it's great
that that money was provided to immediately do the urgent stuff,
which is understand the bloom better, monitor it better, and
help these affected communities. But longer term, I think a
much larger package financial recovery package will be required to
(12:11):
help communities and ecosystems and industries recover. What does that
look like. I'm not an economists, I certainly haven't done
the mass. But if we look at other natural disaster responses,
for example, the Black Summer fires that was declared a
national disaster and enabled a new level of funding to
(12:32):
be provided to effective communities, and two hundred million was
spent just on environmental recovery. And it was a total
of two point two billion that was provided for helping
affected communities and nature restoration and conservation. So large numbers
will be required and I'm hopeful that the federal government
(12:56):
in particular will move to provide that level of support.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Also had a chance to catch up with Janna Dielenberg
of the Biodiversity Council to find out about an emergency
meeting regarding the safety of our beloved cuttlefish migration.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
We know that this population is currently all aggregated right
now and the top of the Spencer Golf for its
breeding season, breeding is just coming to an end, and
the eggs are there waiting to be the next generation.
The bloom is in the lower Spencer Golf and tracking
towards the middle, and so the real concern is if
the bloom were to reach these developing eggs, there's a
chance you could wipe out the entire population.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
This is a big deal for tourism as well. We
hear about tourism being affected on the York Peninsula. We
hope that it doesn't reach the Wyaler area.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
Yeah, the cuttlefish are an amazing point of pride for
the people of Wyala. They're incredibly important to that local
economy by drawing so many international tourists there in winter,
and they're just such a unique part of Australia's natural heritage.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Should the bloom reach them, what would be the ramifications.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
There's genuine concerned that if the algal bloom were to
reach the developing eggs or the newly hatched young, that
it could lead to the extinction of this population. And
this is the only population of cuttlefish in the world
that do this remarkable mass breeding event where they come
together in tens of thousands. So it'd be a really
huge loss at a global scale.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, it would be a loss for for Whaler, it
would be lost for research, be lost for biodiversity and
what they bring to our seas. How would we get
around this what are some of the things that maybe
we're hoping for from the state government.
Speaker 6 (14:30):
One of the ideas that has been discussed is the
potential to collect some of the eggs and put them
into an aquaculture facility for safe keeping while the algal
bloom is there. We're very pleased so that the South
Australian government is really taking this very seriously. It aligns
with one of the most urgent recommendations of a report
(14:50):
we released last week on the actions that are needed
to respond to the algal bloom, and so it's really
great to see the South Australian Government moving quickly on this.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
We should have an update following that emergency meeting next week.
We'll also hear from a publican on the yp, a
social commentator and an ecologist who might just have a
splash of good news. But that's it for this week.
Don't forget. You can hear iHeart Essay in the iHeart
app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jackie Limb.
Join us again next week for more of the stories
(15:20):
you want to hear. I Heart Essay The Voice of
South Australia. I Heart Essay
Hi, I'm Jackie Limb with iHeart Essay. This week we
take a look at the cause and the measures being
taken to improve the scenes of despair on South Australia's coastlines.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The species of algae it's ever present, usually in low numbers,
but the marine heat wave and previous floodwater events lots
of floodwater nutrient rich coming from interstate in particularly in
New South Wales. We had some of the largest floodwaters
come out of the Korong over the last three years
and also strong offshore winds creating upwelling events. So all
(00:36):
that has provided a nutrient payload which has enabled the
algae to bloom. That was detected certainly by March as
things were starting to wash up, but it may have
started several months earlier.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Marine scientists dominate McAfee. There more from him later on.
The toxic algill bloom has now wiped out over four
hundred and fifty marine species, while our tourism and aquaculture
sectors struggle to survive. Over the next two weeks, we'll
dive into the science behind the bloom, its catastrophic impact
on marine biodiversity and coastal industries, and we'll try to
(01:08):
narrow in on what needs to happen now. So, after
months of calling for assistance, the federal government last week
committed fourteen million dollars to the cause, something Premier Pete
Malanowskis called a great first step to recovery.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, we certainly welcome the federal government making what is
it is a significant financial contribution. Forteen million dollars are
going to go a long way, and of course we'll
be partnering with the Commonwealth with a similar amount of funding,
which will make a big difference on the ground. But
I think it's important for people to realize this is
genuinely an unprecedented event. We've never seen anything like this
in our country before. We've never seen an algal bloom
(01:41):
of this scale doing this much damage. It's a big deal,
and I'm very grateful the federal government came to the fore.
I mean, from the state government's perspective, I think it
is important we do acknowledge as a natural disaster. I
don't think we should be getting caught up in weezer words.
It's a natural disaster. It's no different to when we
see a flutter or a fire, except of course, this
isn't something we've seen before, and I think it's important
(02:02):
we remain vigilant and continue to respond certainly as the
science evolves and we seem to learn more about this
every single day that goes by.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Of course, that money was then matched by the State
government the very next day, bringing the fund to twenty
eight million dollars.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I am very pleased to confirm today that the State
government matching that funding contribution, and I am able to
provide substantial detail in exactly what is underpinned the dollar
amounts that we have talked to and where the funding
will be allocated. For some time, the South Australian Government
has been working in great detail to assess how a
(02:36):
significant funding package could make a substantial difference regarding the
algill bloom challenge, not just today for industry and others,
but also in terms of how we planning and prepare
for the future.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
So to break it down, basically, eight point five million
dollars will go towards coastal monitoring, two million dollars will
be used to create a dedicated national testing facility, a
rapid fish and biodiversity assessment will get underway, to the
tune of three million dollars. The Community Support and Resilience
Fund will be boosted by three million with mental health
(03:09):
and well being programs that impacted fishes and coastal workers.
One million dollars will be spent on cleaning up along
our coastline, and emergency relief grants of up to ten
thousand dollars will be made available to oyster farmers, aquaculture
operators and wild fisheries. Our reporter Chris Gascott spoke to
Minister for Primary Industries Clais Scriven about why there was
(03:30):
such a delay in response time from the government.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Back four months ago there was the bloom emerged. Obviously,
we were seeing dead sea life and we were ramping
up the monitoring and make sure that the science was happening.
The scientific work behind the scenes was happening. Now the
experts were able to say there's been outcle blooms around
the world for a very long time. There's been We've
(03:54):
had them here in South Australia before, back in Cosson
Day around by twenty fourteen, and so the expectation was
that as we came into winter, there would be rougher weather,
there would be colder temperatures, less sunshine and all of
those things could be expected to dissipate the algal bloom.
Notwithstanding that the monitoring, of course was continuing, the testing,
(04:14):
the ongoing efforts of SAUDI, the Southstralian Research and Development
Institute and PERSA in conjunction with Department of Environment and Water,
there's been a working group across all of the relevant
departments that's been meeting weekly. So as the bloom has continued,
obviously the impacts have increased because of duration of the bloom,
(04:36):
and so whilst we continued to hope that it would
dissipate based on weather, we needed to also prepare for
the fact that it may not. So that's where the
work has been going on across different departments. Will also
been working with the Commonwealth about what we considered would
be necessary if this did continue. And then the outcome
(04:57):
of all that is the twenty eight million dollar package
we've been able to announce and.
Speaker 5 (05:01):
Just quickly, how quickly can we expect to see some
of these measures implemented, because of course there's a lot
of moving parts within this. What are some of the
things that we expect to see right away to be
able to help you.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
That's a really good question, because it is very much
a moving feast. It's an evolving situation, both in terms
of the science but also in terms of the impacts
on individuals. So we all have some more to say
within the next week in regards to things such as
the small business support. In terms of some of those
other aspects, that work is already starting. So for example,
(05:33):
we need to have really updated assessment of fish stocks.
That's the key, and I guess with my portfolio covering fisheries,
I'm particularly concerned around that. If we have those stock
assessments that work, the planning works, so that can start immediately. Obviously,
some of the planning has already occurred, but in terms
of actually making it happen on the ground, that's the
next step. And we really need to know that because
(05:56):
whilst we can be confronted by what's what we're seeing
washed up on the beaches, we need much more evidence
in regards to what is the impact, how many, what
does it mean for the spawning, what does it mean
for the existing stocks, what does it mean for the future.
One other thing I would just like to mention as well, though,
is some of the concerns around people you're walking on
(06:17):
beaches and so on, and we can just repeat the
health advice that we have, which is if there's no
discolored foam or discolored water, then you can be confident
that there's not an issue with walking on the beach,
for example, or even going into the water. That's pretty
cold to do that these days, but I'm sure some
people still like to do so. But where there is
(06:37):
the foam or the discolored water, people may well experience
analergic reaction itchy skin, mortaring eyes, watering noses, that sort
of thing. But again, all of the evidence so far
shows that you know much, you wash that off, then
it doesn't continue and it doesn't create any ongoing health hazards.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
We'll have more on essays algal bloom coming up after the.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
Break my Heart Essay, My Heart Essay.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Welcome back as we deep dive into our toxic waters.
Of course, Australia is no stranger to natural disasters, but
what's happening right now off the coast of essay, is different.
It's quite a less visible, but just as devastating. For
another take on how the situation's being handled and how
it came to be, I spoke to Marine scientists from
Adelaide UNI Doctor Dominic McAfee.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Some of the affected areas that have had the bloom
in situe for many months, we've seen widespread mortality. I
think the counters at about four hundred and eighty different
species that have been recorded by these citizens scientists sharing
that knowledge and providing a community driven database or mortality
(07:48):
database on how the bloom is affecting species. But there's
so much more going on under the water that we
can't see. Just in the last couple of days, I
was diving in Stansbury and other areas which have had
the bloom for many months, and I'm seeing a thinning
of the sea grass beds. Some sea grass species are
(08:10):
doing very well and others are dying off sponges and acidians,
things that naturally clean and filter the water, almost complete
mortality of both. So there's not many systems that have
been spared. But one of the ones that I work on, shellfish.
Reefs formed by oysters look like they have got some
(08:32):
level of resilience that's at least providing a small amount
of encouragement that these systems will be able to bounce back. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Yeah, Well that leads into my next question. So, you know,
the kelp forests and shellfish reefs, if they should be
depleted or lost, how does their loss affect and reduce
natural resilience to future events like this because they do
help clean the water.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
As you say, yeah, that's a really important question, and
that's why I'm particularly interested in those habitat forming species,
those marine ecosystems that provide the habitat for the little
things that big things feed on. So we call shellfish reefs,
oyster reefs, and clp forests, you know, the natural fish
factories of the sea, because that's where the nursery habitats
(09:15):
where a lot of little fish live and they will
grow up and move to offshore systems before they become
part of our productive fisheries. So the loss of those
foundations is absolutely devastating. And what we're going to need
to understand is how long it takes for those to
come back, or where there is pockets of resilience. And
(09:37):
as I mentioned that native oysters seem to have a
level of resilience. They've been filtering and feeding on this
algae for months, and in many parts of the coast
where I've observed them, they still look to be doing
very well, and in doing that, as they're filtering, they're
drawing down the amount of nutrients that's available, and they're
also drawing down the algae as well, removing it from
(09:59):
the world or column. Conserving those and also restoring those
systems is going to be a really important part of
the recovery.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
We say that most of the shellfish reefs, the oyster farms,
they're not doing too badly, but several have had to close.
There's been one in Goolwa, several on the York and
Air peninsulas having to close. What does it mean for
them who are trying to make a livelihood off this industry.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Absolutely, yeah, it's absolutely devastating. I feel my heart really
goes out to oyster farmers. I work with a fair
few of them across the state. They have to keep
going out day after day in sometimes pretty tough conditions
to manage that stock and keep it alive, but they
can't sell the stock. Yeah, there's very good biosecurity to
make sure that when farmers produce safe products to eat,
(10:45):
so we can maybe take some encouragement that they're quite
proactive in keeping their consumers safe. But it's absolutely devastated.
For the industries, and they do need government support to
make sure that they have immediate help in getting through
this bloom and also longer term, long the term help
(11:05):
because some of the fisheries, so the native oysters, they're
doing all right, some of the oysters, but cockles have
been absolutely devastated, and muscles that seem to be fairly
susceptible to the algae as well. So there's going to
be Each industry is going to be impacted in different
ways into different severities, So there's going to need to
(11:26):
be a lot of a lot of economic and I
suspect mental well being support for these industries going forward.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, which is of course all part of this twenty
eight million dollar commitment from the federal and state governments.
Do you believe that that amount of money is adequate
to help out or what would a fully funded response
look like In your opinion.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
I'd say it's certainly a welcome start, and it's great
that that money was provided to immediately do the urgent stuff,
which is understand the bloom better, monitor it better, and
help these affected communities. But longer term, I think a
much larger package financial recovery package will be required to
(12:11):
help communities and ecosystems and industries recover. What does that
look like. I'm not an economists, I certainly haven't done
the mass. But if we look at other natural disaster responses,
for example, the Black Summer fires that was declared a
national disaster and enabled a new level of funding to
(12:32):
be provided to effective communities, and two hundred million was
spent just on environmental recovery. And it was a total
of two point two billion that was provided for helping
affected communities and nature restoration and conservation. So large numbers
will be required and I'm hopeful that the federal government
(12:56):
in particular will move to provide that level of support.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Also had a chance to catch up with Janna Dielenberg
of the Biodiversity Council to find out about an emergency
meeting regarding the safety of our beloved cuttlefish migration.
Speaker 6 (13:09):
We know that this population is currently all aggregated right
now and the top of the Spencer Golf for its
breeding season, breeding is just coming to an end, and
the eggs are there waiting to be the next generation.
The bloom is in the lower Spencer Golf and tracking
towards the middle, and so the real concern is if
the bloom were to reach these developing eggs, there's a
chance you could wipe out the entire population.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
This is a big deal for tourism as well. We
hear about tourism being affected on the York Peninsula. We
hope that it doesn't reach the Wyaler area.
Speaker 6 (13:41):
Yeah, the cuttlefish are an amazing point of pride for
the people of Wyala. They're incredibly important to that local
economy by drawing so many international tourists there in winter,
and they're just such a unique part of Australia's natural heritage.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Should the bloom reach them, what would be the ramifications.
Speaker 6 (13:59):
There's genuine concerned that if the algal bloom were to
reach the developing eggs or the newly hatched young, that
it could lead to the extinction of this population. And
this is the only population of cuttlefish in the world
that do this remarkable mass breeding event where they come
together in tens of thousands. So it'd be a really
huge loss at a global scale.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, it would be a loss for for Whaler, it
would be lost for research, be lost for biodiversity and
what they bring to our seas. How would we get
around this what are some of the things that maybe
we're hoping for from the state government.
Speaker 6 (14:30):
One of the ideas that has been discussed is the
potential to collect some of the eggs and put them
into an aquaculture facility for safe keeping while the algal
bloom is there. We're very pleased so that the South
Australian government is really taking this very seriously. It aligns
with one of the most urgent recommendations of a report
(14:50):
we released last week on the actions that are needed
to respond to the algal bloom, and so it's really
great to see the South Australian Government moving quickly on this.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
We should have an update following that emergency meeting next week.
We'll also hear from a publican on the yp, a
social commentator and an ecologist who might just have a
splash of good news. But that's it for this week.
Don't forget. You can hear iHeart Essay in the iHeart
app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jackie Limb.
Join us again next week for more of the stories
(15:20):
you want to hear. I Heart Essay The Voice of
South Australia. I Heart Essay
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