July 22, 2025 • 15 mins
Sharks, seals, rays, octopus, dolphins - these are just some of the marine species that have washed up dead on South Australian beaches in recent months.
A toxic algal bloom that has been lingering off the state's coast since at least March is being blamed for the mass kills. It's a story that has now gained national attention, with the federal government announcing $14 million in funding this week.
As calls mount for the government to declare a national disaster, scientists are warning the danger could spread to other states. Today, we're unpacking everything you need to know about this story, including the science behind it and what it means for the future of Australia's marine ecosystems.
Hosts: Emma Gillespie and Billi FitzSimons
Producer: Orla Maher
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. Oh,
now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Wednesday,
the twenty third of July. I'm Emma Gillespie, I'm Billy
fitz Simon's sharks, seals, rays, octopus, dolphins. These are just
some of the marine species that have washed up dead
on South Australian beaches on mass in recent months. A
toxic algal bloom has been lingering off the state's coast
(00:36):
since at least March, and it's been blamed for the
deaths of these animals. This is a story that has
now gained national attention, with the federal government announcing funding
to address the crisis this week, but as calls for
the government to declare a national disaster mount, scientists are
warning the danger could spread to other states. Today we're
(00:56):
going to unpack everything you need to know about this story,
including the science behind it and what it means for
the future. But before we get into today's deep dive,
here is a quick message from our sponsor.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
And this is one of those stories that has been
around for a while, but I feel like in the
past week in particular, it's really gained national momentum. Now,
I'm sure those of us listening in South Australia are
very well aware of what is happening. But for those
of us who are not in South Australia, do you
want to just take it right back to basics and
explain what is algol bloom? Yeah? Am I saying it right?
(01:35):
Algal bloom?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yes, it's an algal bloom. It's one of those stories.
I think that because it's been around for so long,
people might feel like it's gotten away from them, you know,
those big news stories.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
But that's me.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah, and you know, pay attention at the right moment.
And it's really complicated. So hopefully we will sort that
out for you, Billy and others like you today. Let's
start with what algae are. So in the simplest terms,
there are a broad group of aquatic plants that live
and grow in the sea and in freshwater. Now, some
algae can be large seaweeds. Other species are microscopic, so
(02:07):
completely invisible to the human eye. But algae plays a
vital role in marine ecosystems, so algae isn't always the
bad guy. They are a food source for many organisms.
They produce a large chunk of Earth's oxygen through photosynthesis.
I remember that one from U ten geography exactly. So
that's for another day talking photosynthesis. But as good as
(02:30):
algae and as important as algae is, in some conditions,
algae can grow out of control. Now, when that happens,
it has a negative impact on marine ecosystems, And that's
what's happening right now in South Australia in an event
known as a harmful algal bloom. Now, depending on the
type of algae, some blooms produce toxins that can kill
(02:51):
fish or other marine life like seabirds, or even cause
human illness. But other non toxic algae blooms can still
be just as devastating because the oxygen these algae colonies
consume essentially suffocate animal species and other plants.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Okay, so we know that an algal bloom has happened
in the waters in South Australia. Yep. Do we know
what has caused that?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yes? So there has been an increase in these types
of events in recent years right around the world, and
I'm sure it won't surprise many people to hear that
that is because of the increased occurrence of marine heat
waves around the world. So in South Australia specifically, a
marine heat wave began to spike in September last year,
and this essentially has created the perfect conditions for microscopic
(03:37):
marine algae called phytoplankton to grow out of control. So
the specific algae involved in this bloom is called Corinia michmotoi,
which produces reactive oxygen molecules that are harmful to fish gills.
Scientists say that there are a whole heap of factors
pretty much that have contributed to the intensity of the
(03:57):
algal bloom in South Australia. So the marine heat wave
that brought above average sea temperatures roughly two and a
half degrees warmer than normal, as well as karma conditions
so light winds, small swells, so the ocean is more
still things animals, plants, species that would be moved around
by the kind of natural turbulence of the ocean are not. Additionally,
(04:20):
there was flooding in the Murray River in twenty twenty
two and twenty twenty three. That flooding washed extra nutrients
freshwater nutrients into the sea and basically what experts say
is that it's a combination of all of those factors
that have essentially created this perfect storm, the ideal conditions
for algae to bloom in places it really shouldn't be.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Right, and the marine heat wave that is a symptom
of climate change exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
So there is a lot of research yet to be
done definitively in this space, but there is kind of
undeniable anecdotal evidence that with rising sea temperatures there is
this trend of marine heat waves, have increased incidents of
those and with them these harmful algal blooms right around
the world.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Got it? And what do we know about the scale
and the impact of this algal bloom in South Australia.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yes, so it was first detected around Essays, Fluru Peninsula,
the York Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, but it's now expanded
to Adelaide's metropolitan beaches, further north and to the west beyond.
So the Biodiversity Council estimates that more than four hundred
and thirty species of marine animals have been killed. When
we're thinking about the impact, so thousands and thousands of
(05:36):
four hundred and thirty species. It was hoped that the
winter waters would kind of weaken the bloom, that it
would dissipate, that cooler waters would come through and move
the algae. But this hasn't happened. Again, there's that marine
heat wave, and so because this type of algae damages
fish gills, essentially what's happening is these animals are being suffocated.
(05:57):
It's awful to think about, but that is what's happening.
That's why we're seeing mass deaths of all kinds of animals,
including rarely encountered deep border sharks, iconic leafy sea dragons,
all types of different rays, rock, lobsters, crabs, squid, octopus more.
If you want to look at this, and I don't
(06:17):
blame you if you want to avoid it, but there
are just hundreds of really macarb images of the coastline
of beaches across South Australia that are just littered with
these corpses of these animals.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah, I've also seen images of seals and dolphins washing
up on beaches in South Australia too. Is that also
linked well?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
The images that we're seeing of dolphins and seals. This
has sparked a bit of a different conversation or debates.
So those animals are mammals. The other animals like the
invertebrates fish sharks, sharks or a type of fish gild animals.
Basically we understand why they are washing up and why
they are dying from the bloom. Officials have confirmed that
(06:57):
the bloom has been detected in the Port River, which
is home to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, but the South
Australian Government's advice is that the specific algae in this
bloom isn't toxic to mammals. It instead has explained mammal
deaths on wild weather rather than the blooms. So in
winter there is an increase in storms. Storm swells in
(07:19):
the ocean can sometimes lead to an increase in mammals
washing up, but experts say the number of mammals that
we're seeing dying it doesn't really add up with that
theory of storms, so some scientists suggest that a neurotoxin
called brevetoxin could be a factor. So I mentioned that
some algal blooms are non toxic algae, some are toxic algae,
(07:42):
and the South Australian Government has since confirmed that toxic
poisons have been detected around the Air Peninsula, with authorities
enacting temporary beach closures on July nine, where brevitoxins were found.
That's a really really small amount of toxins. It's not
entirely clear how linked the presence of those toxins are
(08:02):
to the rest of the algal bloom, but it is
certainly caused for concern and it would explain the mammals
that are also washing up.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Okay, So to be clear, we do know that this
algal bloom has caused the death of several hundreds or
thousands of four hundred and thirty species, which includes things
like fish, But when it comes to mammals like the
dolphins and the seals, we aren't one hundred percent sure
that there is a link there, but there are suspicions
(08:31):
that it could be.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah. Well, marine ecologists are pretty much saying that there
is a relationship and we can't hide from that. But
there's also this kind of pressure on testing, and with
the bloom being so widespread, it's been hard for government
resources to kind of keep up with the demand of
the locations and the testing required, and the amount of
time it takes to kind of get those water samples,
(08:54):
take them to the lab, recover the corpses, of the animals,
conduct and necropsies like an autopsy on an animal after
their death to determine the cause of death of those animals.
I suppose it's the scale of the situation is just
so enormous that authorities are struggling to kind of keep
up and deliver answers at the pace of the questions
(09:15):
that are coming up.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
With this happening in waters and at beaches in South Australia.
I know it's winter, so maybe not many people are
going for a swim, but for those who maybe are,
is there any risk to people?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
So this is where understanding the type of algae in
the harmful bloom becomes really important. So current essay health
advice is that the algae quote does not produce a
toxin that is harmful to humans, but exposure can cause
skin irritation, eye irritation, and respiratory symptoms. However, because traces
of brevitoxins that neurotoxin I mentioned have been detected and
(09:52):
marine ecologists have pointed out that additional harmful species are
likely present in the bloom mix, there are some concerns
about dangers to human health. So if brevitoxin's become more prevalent.
What happens in serious cases is they can lead to
nerve damage, spasms, paralysis, respiratory distress, headaches, nausea, a whole
(10:14):
suite of more serious symptoms. Wow.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
And this week the federal government announced funding to address
the crisis. What's happening there?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yes, so we saw the Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt
visits South Australia this week where he announced fourteen million
dollars in federal funding for research to help affected businesses
like fishes, tourism operators, community support and funding for the
cleaning up of all the dead marine life. The Premiere
of South Australia, Peter malinowskis he has been calling for
(10:45):
a formal natural disaster declaration. Basically that is a formality
that would unlock extra funds, so it would compel the
government to distribute more funding and more support for the
efforts as we kind of learn more about this bloom.
But Murray Watt said the bloom hasn't met the strict
definition for a natural disaster, but he hasn't ruled out
(11:07):
tweaking the criteria or having more conversations about that in
the future.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
And what are experts saying about the broader implications of this.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, So we've heard from the University of Melbourne's Associate
Professor John Moraello, who said the bloom has quote wreaked
havoc with the region's marine ecosystem, devastating fisheries and aquaculture industries.
Now quickly touching on the kind of concerns for commercial fisheries.
This is multi layered, but basically, so many fish are
dying that fisheries are saying there's nothing left to catch.
(11:38):
There's also a concern that the fish they are catching
are unwell, and then you've got to think about the
kind of longer term implications on consumer attitudes. So if
we're all hearing about this algal bloom, does that change
the way we think about South Australian seafood products? Does
that mean we're not going to want to buy them?
Green spokesperson Sarah Hanson Young has called for a rescue
(11:59):
package compro to the government's COVID response. The Greens have
been really vocal in this space from the early days
of the bloom. They want a natural disaster declaration. We
have heard from the new Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell,
she's accused the government of being completely flat footed to
use her words. In its response after Murray what visited
(12:19):
South Australia. Angie Bell said that he was trying to
palm this off as a state issue that Labour needs
to do more. But Angie Bell did say quote the
Coalition stands ready to work constructively with the Government to
prevent any further devastation from the toxic algal bloom.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And I guess my last question is what happens next.
Is that any hope of the situation improving?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
There is one ray of hope which I know this
can sound really devastating and for the people impacted by
it in South Australia, for marine scientists, for that whole community,
seeing these endangered species, these deep water creatures washing up
dead on beaches has been completely devastating. But the good
news is a bioluminescent algae that feeds on the harmful
(13:06):
algae that we've seen in this bloom. So the Kerna Mikemoito.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Wow, you've done really well with the science jargon today.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I got that wrong. It's the harmful Kernia michemoid toy
god as how you say it.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
I was going to correct you you're a stickler.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
For these pronunciations, but also forgive me audience if I'm not.
This bioluminescent algae, which I'm not even to attempt to pronounce,
has been spotted in the region in the waters of
South Australia. Why that matters, apart from bioluminescent algae looking
very cool, is that this algae can eat the harmful algae.
So scientists are hoping or watching and waiting to see
(13:45):
if this bioluminescent algae is going to feed on the
harmful bloom, which would reduce the numbers of this harmful
algae and help bring an end to this disaster. But
it is such a complex environmental crisis there are no
easy answers, and we keep monitoring the situation. I do
also just want to reiterate there's so much we don't
know yet. So while there are these concerns about the brevitoxins,
(14:07):
the neurotoxins, the harmful algie, what we know about that
is that it's been discovered in small amounts in some areas.
It's not, so far as we know, widespread. So I
don't want people to be unnecessarily concerned or alarmed. I
think it's good for people to be wary. This is
a really concerning situation, but it's not you know, panic
stations in terms of what we're buying it the supermarkets
(14:29):
just yet.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Yeah, well, we will keep a very close eye on it.
And you are our amazing science correspondent. You're specifically extremely
good at all things marine sea life.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Thank you so much. My high school teachers would probably
have a heart attack. And when we're talking about this
these days, considering I was really bad at it, it's
all no.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
You have explained that so well. Thank you so much
for taking us through that.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
And thank you so much for listening to this episode
of The Daily os. We'll be back this afternoon with
your evening headlines, but until then, have a great day.
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bujelung Kalkadoon woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges
that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
(15:14):
Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and torrest
Rate island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present,
Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. Oh,
now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Wednesday,
the twenty third of July. I'm Emma Gillespie, I'm Billy
fitz Simon's sharks, seals, rays, octopus, dolphins. These are just
some of the marine species that have washed up dead
on South Australian beaches on mass in recent months. A
toxic algal bloom has been lingering off the state's coast
(00:36):
since at least March, and it's been blamed for the
deaths of these animals. This is a story that has
now gained national attention, with the federal government announcing funding
to address the crisis this week, but as calls for
the government to declare a national disaster mount, scientists are
warning the danger could spread to other states. Today we're
(00:56):
going to unpack everything you need to know about this story,
including the science behind it and what it means for
the future. But before we get into today's deep dive,
here is a quick message from our sponsor.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
And this is one of those stories that has been
around for a while, but I feel like in the
past week in particular, it's really gained national momentum. Now,
I'm sure those of us listening in South Australia are
very well aware of what is happening. But for those
of us who are not in South Australia, do you
want to just take it right back to basics and
explain what is algol bloom? Yeah? Am I saying it right?
(01:35):
Algal bloom?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yes, it's an algal bloom. It's one of those stories.
I think that because it's been around for so long,
people might feel like it's gotten away from them, you know,
those big news stories.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
But that's me.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah, and you know, pay attention at the right moment.
And it's really complicated. So hopefully we will sort that
out for you, Billy and others like you today. Let's
start with what algae are. So in the simplest terms,
there are a broad group of aquatic plants that live
and grow in the sea and in freshwater. Now, some
algae can be large seaweeds. Other species are microscopic, so
(02:07):
completely invisible to the human eye. But algae plays a
vital role in marine ecosystems, so algae isn't always the
bad guy. They are a food source for many organisms.
They produce a large chunk of Earth's oxygen through photosynthesis.
I remember that one from U ten geography exactly. So
that's for another day talking photosynthesis. But as good as
(02:30):
algae and as important as algae is, in some conditions,
algae can grow out of control. Now, when that happens,
it has a negative impact on marine ecosystems, And that's
what's happening right now in South Australia in an event
known as a harmful algal bloom. Now, depending on the
type of algae, some blooms produce toxins that can kill
(02:51):
fish or other marine life like seabirds, or even cause
human illness. But other non toxic algae blooms can still
be just as devastating because the oxygen these algae colonies
consume essentially suffocate animal species and other plants.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Okay, so we know that an algal bloom has happened
in the waters in South Australia. Yep. Do we know
what has caused that?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yes? So there has been an increase in these types
of events in recent years right around the world, and
I'm sure it won't surprise many people to hear that
that is because of the increased occurrence of marine heat
waves around the world. So in South Australia specifically, a
marine heat wave began to spike in September last year,
and this essentially has created the perfect conditions for microscopic
(03:37):
marine algae called phytoplankton to grow out of control. So
the specific algae involved in this bloom is called Corinia michmotoi,
which produces reactive oxygen molecules that are harmful to fish gills.
Scientists say that there are a whole heap of factors
pretty much that have contributed to the intensity of the
(03:57):
algal bloom in South Australia. So the marine heat wave
that brought above average sea temperatures roughly two and a
half degrees warmer than normal, as well as karma conditions
so light winds, small swells, so the ocean is more
still things animals, plants, species that would be moved around
by the kind of natural turbulence of the ocean are not. Additionally,
(04:20):
there was flooding in the Murray River in twenty twenty
two and twenty twenty three. That flooding washed extra nutrients
freshwater nutrients into the sea and basically what experts say
is that it's a combination of all of those factors
that have essentially created this perfect storm, the ideal conditions
for algae to bloom in places it really shouldn't be.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Right, and the marine heat wave that is a symptom
of climate change exactly.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
So there is a lot of research yet to be
done definitively in this space, but there is kind of
undeniable anecdotal evidence that with rising sea temperatures there is
this trend of marine heat waves, have increased incidents of
those and with them these harmful algal blooms right around
the world.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Got it? And what do we know about the scale
and the impact of this algal bloom in South Australia.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yes, so it was first detected around Essays, Fluru Peninsula,
the York Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, but it's now expanded
to Adelaide's metropolitan beaches, further north and to the west beyond.
So the Biodiversity Council estimates that more than four hundred
and thirty species of marine animals have been killed. When
we're thinking about the impact, so thousands and thousands of
(05:36):
four hundred and thirty species. It was hoped that the
winter waters would kind of weaken the bloom, that it
would dissipate, that cooler waters would come through and move
the algae. But this hasn't happened. Again, there's that marine
heat wave, and so because this type of algae damages
fish gills, essentially what's happening is these animals are being suffocated.
(05:57):
It's awful to think about, but that is what's happening.
That's why we're seeing mass deaths of all kinds of animals,
including rarely encountered deep border sharks, iconic leafy sea dragons,
all types of different rays, rock, lobsters, crabs, squid, octopus more.
If you want to look at this, and I don't
(06:17):
blame you if you want to avoid it, but there
are just hundreds of really macarb images of the coastline
of beaches across South Australia that are just littered with
these corpses of these animals.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yeah, I've also seen images of seals and dolphins washing
up on beaches in South Australia too. Is that also
linked well?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
The images that we're seeing of dolphins and seals. This
has sparked a bit of a different conversation or debates.
So those animals are mammals. The other animals like the
invertebrates fish sharks, sharks or a type of fish gild animals.
Basically we understand why they are washing up and why
they are dying from the bloom. Officials have confirmed that
(06:57):
the bloom has been detected in the Port River, which
is home to the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, but the South
Australian Government's advice is that the specific algae in this
bloom isn't toxic to mammals. It instead has explained mammal
deaths on wild weather rather than the blooms. So in
winter there is an increase in storms. Storm swells in
(07:19):
the ocean can sometimes lead to an increase in mammals
washing up, but experts say the number of mammals that
we're seeing dying it doesn't really add up with that
theory of storms, so some scientists suggest that a neurotoxin
called brevetoxin could be a factor. So I mentioned that
some algal blooms are non toxic algae, some are toxic algae,
(07:42):
and the South Australian Government has since confirmed that toxic
poisons have been detected around the Air Peninsula, with authorities
enacting temporary beach closures on July nine, where brevitoxins were found.
That's a really really small amount of toxins. It's not
entirely clear how linked the presence of those toxins are
(08:02):
to the rest of the algal bloom, but it is
certainly caused for concern and it would explain the mammals
that are also washing up.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Okay, So to be clear, we do know that this
algal bloom has caused the death of several hundreds or
thousands of four hundred and thirty species, which includes things
like fish, But when it comes to mammals like the
dolphins and the seals, we aren't one hundred percent sure
that there is a link there, but there are suspicions
(08:31):
that it could be.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah. Well, marine ecologists are pretty much saying that there
is a relationship and we can't hide from that. But
there's also this kind of pressure on testing, and with
the bloom being so widespread, it's been hard for government
resources to kind of keep up with the demand of
the locations and the testing required, and the amount of
time it takes to kind of get those water samples,
(08:54):
take them to the lab, recover the corpses, of the animals,
conduct and necropsies like an autopsy on an animal after
their death to determine the cause of death of those animals.
I suppose it's the scale of the situation is just
so enormous that authorities are struggling to kind of keep
up and deliver answers at the pace of the questions
(09:15):
that are coming up.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
With this happening in waters and at beaches in South Australia.
I know it's winter, so maybe not many people are
going for a swim, but for those who maybe are,
is there any risk to people?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
So this is where understanding the type of algae in
the harmful bloom becomes really important. So current essay health
advice is that the algae quote does not produce a
toxin that is harmful to humans, but exposure can cause
skin irritation, eye irritation, and respiratory symptoms. However, because traces
of brevitoxins that neurotoxin I mentioned have been detected and
(09:52):
marine ecologists have pointed out that additional harmful species are
likely present in the bloom mix, there are some concerns
about dangers to human health. So if brevitoxin's become more prevalent.
What happens in serious cases is they can lead to
nerve damage, spasms, paralysis, respiratory distress, headaches, nausea, a whole
(10:14):
suite of more serious symptoms. Wow.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
And this week the federal government announced funding to address
the crisis. What's happening there?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Yes, so we saw the Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt
visits South Australia this week where he announced fourteen million
dollars in federal funding for research to help affected businesses
like fishes, tourism operators, community support and funding for the
cleaning up of all the dead marine life. The Premiere
of South Australia, Peter malinowskis he has been calling for
(10:45):
a formal natural disaster declaration. Basically that is a formality
that would unlock extra funds, so it would compel the
government to distribute more funding and more support for the
efforts as we kind of learn more about this bloom.
But Murray Watt said the bloom hasn't met the strict
definition for a natural disaster, but he hasn't ruled out
(11:07):
tweaking the criteria or having more conversations about that in
the future.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
And what are experts saying about the broader implications of this.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yes, So we've heard from the University of Melbourne's Associate
Professor John Moraello, who said the bloom has quote wreaked
havoc with the region's marine ecosystem, devastating fisheries and aquaculture industries.
Now quickly touching on the kind of concerns for commercial fisheries.
This is multi layered, but basically, so many fish are
dying that fisheries are saying there's nothing left to catch.
(11:38):
There's also a concern that the fish they are catching
are unwell, and then you've got to think about the
kind of longer term implications on consumer attitudes. So if
we're all hearing about this algal bloom, does that change
the way we think about South Australian seafood products? Does
that mean we're not going to want to buy them?
Green spokesperson Sarah Hanson Young has called for a rescue
(11:59):
package compro to the government's COVID response. The Greens have
been really vocal in this space from the early days
of the bloom. They want a natural disaster declaration. We
have heard from the new Shadow Environment Minister Angie Bell,
she's accused the government of being completely flat footed to
use her words. In its response after Murray what visited
(12:19):
South Australia. Angie Bell said that he was trying to
palm this off as a state issue that Labour needs
to do more. But Angie Bell did say quote the
Coalition stands ready to work constructively with the Government to
prevent any further devastation from the toxic algal bloom.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And I guess my last question is what happens next.
Is that any hope of the situation improving?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
There is one ray of hope which I know this
can sound really devastating and for the people impacted by
it in South Australia, for marine scientists, for that whole community,
seeing these endangered species, these deep water creatures washing up
dead on beaches has been completely devastating. But the good
news is a bioluminescent algae that feeds on the harmful
(13:06):
algae that we've seen in this bloom. So the Kerna Mikemoito.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Wow, you've done really well with the science jargon today.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I got that wrong. It's the harmful Kernia michemoid toy
god as how you say it.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
I was going to correct you you're a stickler.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
For these pronunciations, but also forgive me audience if I'm not.
This bioluminescent algae, which I'm not even to attempt to pronounce,
has been spotted in the region in the waters of
South Australia. Why that matters, apart from bioluminescent algae looking
very cool, is that this algae can eat the harmful algae.
So scientists are hoping or watching and waiting to see
(13:45):
if this bioluminescent algae is going to feed on the
harmful bloom, which would reduce the numbers of this harmful
algae and help bring an end to this disaster. But
it is such a complex environmental crisis there are no
easy answers, and we keep monitoring the situation. I do
also just want to reiterate there's so much we don't
know yet. So while there are these concerns about the brevitoxins,
(14:07):
the neurotoxins, the harmful algie, what we know about that
is that it's been discovered in small amounts in some areas.
It's not, so far as we know, widespread. So I
don't want people to be unnecessarily concerned or alarmed. I
think it's good for people to be wary. This is
a really concerning situation, but it's not you know, panic
stations in terms of what we're buying it the supermarkets
(14:29):
just yet.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Yeah, well, we will keep a very close eye on it.
And you are our amazing science correspondent. You're specifically extremely
good at all things marine sea life.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Thank you so much. My high school teachers would probably
have a heart attack. And when we're talking about this
these days, considering I was really bad at it, it's
all no.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
You have explained that so well. Thank you so much
for taking us through that.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
And thank you so much for listening to this episode
of The Daily os. We'll be back this afternoon with
your evening headlines, but until then, have a great day.
My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda
Bujelung Kalkadoon woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges
that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
(15:14):
Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and torrest
Rate island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present,
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