State Prime Minister says “natural disaster” of algae blossom in South Australia, species have been wiped out
State Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas said on Tuesday that a large number of toxic algae erupted in South Australia, which destroyed hundreds of marine life and destroyed local tourism and fishing, was a “natural disaster.”
“I think it’s very clear about it. It’s a natural disaster,” Malinascas said. “I think when politicians get technically they can cause harm. It’s a natural disaster. It should be admitted that way.”
Algal Bloom, the 4,500 square kilometers area was first detected in March and was exacerbated by rising ocean temperatures, environmental officials said. Malinauskas said that more than 400 different species of marine life have been killed or died due to algae blooms.
“It is important to recognize that this is an unprecedented event,” he said. “We have never seen algae of this scale and this scale in the history of our coastline.”
Malinauskas announced a $12.5 million CDN support package to address the outbreak, matching the federal government’s package. The total $25 million will help clean up efforts, research and business support.
The state’s environmental department says the toxic flowers are caused by overgrowth of the karenia mikimotoi algae species, which affects the fish and absorbs oxygen from the water as it breaks down. What promotes its growth is the ocean heat wave, which began in 2024 when the SST was about 2.5 c higher than usual.
Michael Parsons, a professor of marine science at Florida’s Gulf Coast University, said these flowers may become more common as climate change makes water hospitality to toxic algae.
“One problem is that many harmful algae bloom species, especially in temperate and subtropical waters – they really can’t handle cold water temperatures in winter,” Parsons said. “So if our fall water temperature is mild and the winter temperature is mild, we can see these species can continue to bloom and continue to flourish into the winter.”
Patrick Martone, a professor of botany at the University of British Columbia, said the increase in rainfall from climate change also washed more land-based nutrients into the water, which aggravates more flowers growth. He said that once flowers flourish, what you can really do is let it die on its own.
“People can’t get in and filter out all the water from all the algae that’s there,” Maton said. “So, unfortunately, there is no good solution.”
The public has documented over 13,850 dead animals, including sharks, rays and invertebrates on the Inaturalist app. Local media said Bloom has affected tourism due to aquatic toxins caused by algae, forcing oyster and mussel farms to temporarily close.
Parsons said Bloom could have a long-term impact on the local ecosystem as the toxins from algae push the food chain up. Furthermore, the bacteria needed to break down so many of the Dead Seas live will deplete oxygen from the surrounding water, resulting in further death.
“We’re seeing other harmful algae bloom species, and the impact may last for years as fish populations recover from these effects,” he said.
Australian Environment Minister Murray Watt said on Monday that algae blossoms were a “very serious environmental activity” but he stopped declaring it a national disaster that would allow more federal support.
