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  • 9 hours ago
South Australia’s peak seafood body says the ongoing closure of one of the state's main fishing areas is affecting supply of some local species leading to high prices. Fish stocks in the Gulf St Vincent were devastated as a result of the algal bloom and those in the industry say the road to recovery could take up to a decade.

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00:02At the Adelaide Central markets, fresh seafood is always in demand.
00:07But for some shoppers, serving up their favourite catch for dinner has become more expensive.
00:13I think it's close to $90 now a kilo for flathead, which is pretty steep.
00:16We've noticed prices of seafood have risen quite high.
00:21Amid rising fuel and operating costs, the effect of the algal bloom is still being felt.
00:27The state's peak seafood body says the marine-scale fishing ban in the Gulf St Vincent means less supply and
00:34higher prices for select species.
00:37Definitely we've seen a slight increase, such as calamari and whiting are the two that are predominantly the drivers here
00:45in South Australia.
00:47While it's not uncommon to see King George whiting fetch a high price, consumers are looking at nearly $100 per
00:54kilo.
00:55I guess it's been sustained for a lot longer because we haven't had the abundance of fish coming out of
01:02the water so we can then reduce the price.
01:05Demand for South Australian seafood took a hit last year as some customers turned away from locally caught products at
01:12the height of the algal bloom.
01:13That's despite a state government campaign reassuring people the seafood in stores is safe to eat.
01:20Producers are reminding customers there's always an affordable local alternative.
01:25If you want to put something on the barbecue, if you want to have a pan fry, we've always got
01:29a fish available for that.
01:31And particularly with cost of living, that's obviously a consideration.
01:35But the ongoing road to recovery is still paved with challenges.
01:39We are looking at a five to ten year trajectory where we can go back to pre-algal bloom.
01:47And we'll see that from there in the next few weeks we'll be thinking about some cash.
01:48We'll see you later.
01:48We've got a five to ten year trajectory.
01:49And we'll see how long everything is flowing and the level of the fish coming out.
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