00:02Jeff Bowie has been diving in Port Augusta for about 10 years.
00:06We're concerned. We're really concerned about...
00:08We see what's under the water. We see those changes.
00:13The algal bloom didn't reach this part of the Upper Spencer Gulf,
00:16but he's still seeing the effects of it.
00:18There's been nothing. It's actually a barren desert down there at the moment.
00:23Since the bloom was first detected,
00:25dead sea life has washed up on SA coastlines.
00:29Scientists say it's difficult to quantify how much marine life perished.
00:33A lot of fish would have never washed the shore and just disintegrated into the ocean.
00:38So it's really hard to put an exact number on it.
00:43New fishing restrictions have been introduced to help, including garfish and King George Whiting.
00:48There's also a ban on catching southern calamari in both Gulf St. Vincent and Spencer Gulf.
00:54Experts say recovery will be species dependent.
00:56It might take much longer than these two months, you know, up to years for some species even decades.
01:03Calamari is likely the fastest to bounce back as they spawn year-round.
01:07If we can get that sort of ground level base happening quickly,
01:11then we will see an abundance of squid coming on pretty quickly.
01:13Further restrictions have also been put in place on Snapper, extending a ban which was introduced in 2019.
01:19The overall closures will be challenging for commercial and recreational fishers.
01:24Hopefully the short-term pain will be a long-term game in the future, both for King George Whiting and
01:29for Calamari.
01:30A hope many fishers will share.
01:32A hope many fishers will share.
01:32A hope many fishers will be there!
Comments