An investigation is underway into fish deaths and a mysterious foam found at Waitpinga Beach and Parsons Beach, with PIRSA stating the cause could be due to an algae bloom.
Hundreds of metres of the coastline is affected with the foam, with dozens of dead fish and leafy seadragons spotted in the aftermath.
Surfers who visited over the weekend have reported coughing, sore throats and blurred vision too.
Waitpinga and Parsons Beaches are closed to the public as the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) investigates.
Principal Biosecurity Officer Giverny Rodgers spoke with ARN’s Chris Guscott on Around SA today, and says they have a good idea of what occurred.
“Based on the information that we have so far, water temperatures in that area have been quite warm recently; combining that with the discolouration of the water in the presence of the sea foam and also the variety of associated fish that we’ve seen wash up, the early indications are that this event has been caused by environmental factors and that could possibly be due to increase in the presence of micro algae in the area,” Rodgers said.
“We’ll await the water testing, we’ll be able to confirm it hopefully once we get that back.”
Listen to the full interview below:
