A recent toxic algal bloom has killed almost every fish in the waters of Spencer Gulf. This tragedy has led to a drastic reduction in marine species as well as devastating local communities economically. Fisherman Andrew Pisani has spent more than 30 years catching King George whiting off the coast of Yorke Peninsula. The fish kill brought Xander to tears, as it was in waters near Ardrossan that hadn’t been affected before this. This ecological catastrophe has resulted in the destruction of both the fishing industry and the economy of the region, which heavily relies on tourism.
Over the past 70 days, Pisani has recorded not a single healthy fish in the vicinity of Stansbury. The algal bloom has wiped out fish stocks of squid, garfish and whiting. Sadly, Edithburgh, which was once Australia’s best diving capital, has turned into a wasteland. Local businesses are under extreme pressure as potential visitors stay away, resulting in lost sales and lower foot traffic.
Economic Impact on Local Businesses
Jo Barrett is a fish and chip shop operator in Edithburgh. Unfortunately for her, she’s experienced a 50 percent decrease in sales as consumers are opting to look away from local seafood. Her kiosk’s sales are 40 percent lower than the same period last year. In the end, she’s had to lay off staff hours by a minimum of eight hours per week.
“It’s really quiet and really scary because we rely on our summer,” Barrett lamented. The algal bloom’s effects have been wide-ranging, harming not only fisheries but the local economy dependent on tourism.
Chris Keys, who lives near Lake Okeechobee, said he’s worried about the impact of the bloom years down the road. “What I worry about is the on-flow effect of the next few months,” he said. Almost every community member echoes his fears as they face the tough reality of what recovery might look like.
The Toll on Marine Life
Mark Tilbrook, another local fisherman, described the situation as “like a fire going through a national park and just destroying everything, only this is underwater.” His critique of the situation was beautifully captured in his statement that now “there’s nothing left for them to look at” in Edithburgh. We look out on empty boat ramps, not a boat in sight. The fishing community of Southeast Alaska is proving to be on the sharp edge of this ecological disaster.
Tilbrook further emphasized the severity of the situation: “It’s going to get tough I think. It’s going to get very tough for us.” He noted that if this were happening on the east coast, their leaders would likely have declared a state of emergency by now.
Former Yorke Peninsula mayor Andrew Pisani, who spoke, reaffirmed these concerns and described the financial impact on the small Yorke Peninsula community. “If we don’t have that tourism from October to March, that six or seven months, Yorke Peninsula will lose millions of dollars,” he stated. The effects on local livelihoods cannot be overstated, as life in residents’ hometowns hangs in the balance.
Government Response and Future Considerations
Amid the crisis, Clare Scriven, South Australia’s primary industries minister, released a surprise announcement. She announced that commercial fishers would be able to apply for waivers on licenses and other fees, if the algal bloom had impacted their catches. Their state government is doing everything it can to get federal authorities involved to help impacted fishers.
Federal Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt recently admitted that this is a dire situation for South Australians as it continues to be today. “The Albanese government recognized this bloom is very serious for South Australians,” he stated. Watt was asked to commit to providing help when the state government requested it, and he promised that he would “certainly consider” such requests.
Local marine biologist and National Geographic Explorer Steven Thomson called for greater cooperation between the scientific community and lawmakers to ensure a greater ecological disaster never occurs. “Science and government really need to be working quite closely together to work out ways of mitigating these sort of events when they do occur,” he explained.
