Glenelg Beach in July, 2023—on the brink of an ecological crisis. A toxic algal bloom devastated marine life and raised concerns among local divers and marine ecologists. Mark Tozer, a 30-year combat veteran turned diver, submerged to the bottom and began exploring the shipwreck of The Claris. He called the underwater scene a ghostly “Chernobyl” just the other day. This shocking development has led to immediate demands for federal action from local politicians and environmentalists on an unprecedented scale.
Tozer’s first visit to the dive site last week came as a wake up call. He pointed out that the reef that was filled with fish less than a year ago is now almost dead, in full coral bleaching. “On the way down it was green and was full of algae just floating through the water column and by the time you got to the bottom you could hardly see your hand; it was nasty,” Tozer remarked. He graphically described his daily observations of dead sea cucumbers, clams and mollusks littering the sinfully muddy bottom. He called the area a “death zone.”
The Algal Bloom’s Impact
This is one of the world’s longest algal blooms, about one-and-a-half kilometers long and 30 meters wide. It is teeming with Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent algae responsible for “sea sparkle.” Faith Coleman, an ecologist investigating the bloom, told CNN that people should be careful. As a scientist, she knew that Noctiluca scintillans might have an optimistic flip side. She was adamant, telling me that “It’s definitely way too early to say” that this algae will cause a toxic bloom-destroying boom.
The local fisherman Nathan Eatts has been seriously hurt by the toxic algal bloom. He took water samples back with him for more detailed analysis and called attention to the frightening situation. The last calamari I caught on Good Friday… and it was a long time ago,” he said. We are living through an unprecedented environmental crisis that threatens marine life. It threatens the livelihoods of everyone that depends on fishing and tourism.
This alarming trend has faced ample resistance for political luminaries from both parties. Robert Simms, a new Greens Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) has big things planned. He will begin an independent, state-based investigation into the bloom when parliament returns at the end of August. We’ll be exploring the opportunities and challenges at the state government department level. Our aim is to take a deep dive into how they are addressing this epidemic,” he added.
Calls for Government Action
The severity of the situation was such that the Australian Greens party has been calling for a national disaster declaration. South Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling for an immediate response. She said they have been calling on the prime minister to announce this occurrence a national disaster. This declaration should be treated with the same processes that are applied to floods and fires.
These local businesses and communities continue to bear the impact of this environmental disaster. Tozer voiced his frustrations: “The government needs to step in and understand these poor people who own a business… this is out of their hands.” And he raised concerns about the negative effect on the state’s burgeoning tourism market. As an aside, who would want to order a vessel in South Australia today?” he mused.
The silver lining is how this community has come together during the crisis. Nathan Eatts contacted authorities to ensure that citizen scientists could collect samples and contribute to understanding the algal bloom’s implications. This grassroots effort highlights the dedication of locals in addressing environmental challenges.
A Glimmer of Hope
Looking past the dire situation, scientists are hopeful new understandings of Noctiluca scintillans could play a key role in addressing widespread effects of climate change. This beneficial algae eats bad bacteria and algae, including Karenia mikimotoi, which has been responsible for mass fish kills. In her latest blog post on these newly prominent sea sparkle blooms, Coleman suggested that their increasing presence might signal ecosystem health improvements.
Our researchers continue to gather and process additional data. They’re just working on finding answers that will mitigate the impact of the nasty toxic bloom. The time to act is now on both the environmental and economic fronts.
