Pipis, octopi, starfish and more have died en masse in South Australia, but it’s not clear why

[ad_1]

Marine life along the southern coast of Australia is dying, leaving the locals worried and saying that they have never seen anything like that.

This weekend, thousands of cockles, or pipis, washed dead in Goolwa Beach, a popular holiday destination to the south of Adelaide.

Barry Brown, deputy director of Recfish SA, A maximum body for recreational fishermen said: “This not only affects the pipis here. It is killing all types of fish.”

“We are seeing things like the sea horses, banjo rays, flat head, quite dark fish that leave the reefs.

“This is widespread in southern Australia. That is a great concern.”

The authorities are investigating whether the deaths are connected to an algae flowering last month, which was identified as the cause of a massive death of fish from Waitpinga to Basham Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula, impacting a wide variety of marine and coastal wildlife.

A foreground of a dead and decomposition penguin found in the sand of a beach under a gray sky above.

A dead penguin was seen lying on Goolwa beach. Fountain: SBS news

The submarine photographer Paul Macdonald, who performs nearby diving tours in Edithburgh’s jetty, on the other side of Adelaide Bay, said the scope of the deaths has been a heartbreaking to witness.

He said during the weekend that he canceled the diving tours due to the “Brown Turbia” water, but went to dive on Sunday to review the state of marine life there and was surprised by what he saw.

“It was very discouraging. When we first fell under the surface, practically immediately in a herb there was an octopus of dead blue rings,” Macdonald said.

“I would have seen about 20-30 octopus without even seeing that I was dead within a radius of 20 meters.

“Fish such as colored fish, Róbalo, Tommy Ruff … There were dead sea stars, dead crabs, dead sea cucumbers.”

A small octopus of dead blue rings buried in the sand underwater, with a tentacle taking out of the sand.

Dozens of dead blue rings have been photographed at the Edithburgh diving site. Credit: Paul Macdonald

Macdonald said that Edithburgh’s jetty is a world -renowned diving site and marine life that is usually “prolific.”

“People come from all over Australia and the world to dive here and, therefore, seeing it devastated is heartbreaking,” he said.

“Nowhere in my diving I have seen something so bad, there was almost no life.”

A small, white and bright fish with an sharp and pointed mouth lay from side to the bottom of the sea.

The divers have reported a wide variety of fish species that are dead under water. Credit: Paul Macdonald

Heated waters

Last month, hundreds of sea creatures were washed due to an algae outbreak by Karenia Mikimotoi, which is believed to be caused by a marine heat wave and unusually still waters.

The South Australian Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that Karenia Mikimotoi impacts fish gills and is toxic to both fish and invertebrates.

The algae flowers of this type have caused mass death events of fish and shellfish in Japan, New Zealand and Coffin Bay of Australia del Sur, says EPA.

The environmental guard dog said that algae dissipates naturally over time.

The Department of Industries and Primary Regions of the State (PIRSA) said it is “too soon to confirm if there is any link” between the event of this weekend with the “death of large -scale fish” last month.

“The department … has begun investigations on the event with samples of beroberecho and water collected for the tests,” said a Picka spokesman in a statement on Monday.

An aerial shift of the coast that shows foam washed on the beach and bands of greenish substance in the sand.

Recfish SA said that it has mobilized citizen members and scientists to investigate the causes of recent fish murders. Credit: Recreffish SA

Macdonald said this is the first time he sees a flowering of algae of this scale.

“I have heard of algae flowers, but nothing like the devastation we have had with this,” he said.

“My [diving] The record book dates back to 35 years … Recording the temperature of the dives and looking at the same similar dates over time, water … in the middle of summer in Edithburgh is a couple of warmer degrees than it was, for example, 20-25 years ago. “

Ask for urgent research

Goolwa Beach, the Mass Death event site this week, is known for its berobe, which are a popular food source, bait and fish broth.

Brown said Recfish SA is concerned about work is not being done quickly enough to identify the cause of deaths.

It demands urgent independent evidence.

“They must be on the ground collecting more data more quickly, the response time is the key, discovering what is the source of this, is it an algae flowering or is it something else?” said.

“We are talking about very important fishing and recreational fishing is a very valuable taxpayer to the economy of southern Australia.”

A close -up of dozens of small shellfish found on a beach.

Berberechos are an important part of the fishing economy of southern Australia. Fountain: SBS news

Brown said Recfish SA is doing its own tests and has hired divers to investigate the health of the reefs farther from the shore.

The outbreak is also causing allergy and symptoms similar to humans.

Pirca is also investigating dead fish reports that are washed on the nearby Kangaroo Island, confirming the low levels of algae of Karenia Mikimotoi “there.

For the latest SBS News, and .

[ad_2]

Source link