The toxic algal bloom that has ravaged much of South Australia’s coastline is having a potentially devastating effect on the local tourism industry.
Karenia Mikimotoi was first reported in the Fleurieu Pensinsula back in March and it has gone on to kill thousands of fish, as well as sharks, dolphins and rays.
Sonya Fowles, who runs the Ardrossan Caravan Park on the Yorke Peninsula with her husband Shane, told the Adelaide Advertiser that said ‘over half’ of people that have booked for the summer holiday period are wanting refunds.
She said that, in comparison, on a good year the park would have all of its 18 cabins, 45-plus powered sites and over 90 onsite van sites full.
The algal bloom has had a devastating effect on marine life. PIC: Pexels
“We’re running at a loss, you can see it already, and in the last week and a half we’ve had probably over 50 phone calls asking about what the procedure is for cancellations,” Ms Fowles told the Advertiser.
And she said it was ‘true blue’ long-term travellers, as well as families looking for a getaway, that were cancelling.
“These people don’t just come for a couple days, they come for a couple of weeks so they spend so much money at the park, at the pub, the shops, the service station, and local wineries in the region,” she said. “And the people that come, not everyone wants to throw a line or a net in, it’s the older couple sitting on the beachfront with a picnic basket, just picture that; that’s who’s not going to be coming back after this.”
In another Yorke Peninsula town, Edithburgh, the Advertiser reports that the normally colourful coral-covered jetty is now a sickly green and brown.
“At the moment we’re noticing it around the town, it’s very quiet — our town is dead,” Damian Thomas, manager of the caravan park, told the Advertiser. “We survive through the quiet time, but if our peak time isn’t busy, that’s when people will be shutting down, then there’ll be no town left … we have thousands at peak time and we rely on that as a town.”
The SA Government’s Emergency Management Committee of Cabinet has just met this morning and signed off on a $28 million harmful algal bloom support package.
The comprehensive package covers industry support, science and research, communications, community support and clean up.
The State Government will contribute $14 million, matching the Commonwealth’s contribution, with the elements of the package to begin rolling out immediately.
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It seems that fear of the unknown and alarmism is causing travellers to change their plans for South Australia. Coastal algal blooms (“red tides”), caused partly by excessive nutrients, are not likely to present devastating health impacts to people, as long as they don’t swim in the middle of an algal bloom or drink the water (and no-one is likely to drink sea water or tidal estuarine water directly). If anything, a coastal bloom should be bringing in tourists, not least that it is a photographic marvel, and so travellers can learn about algal outbreaks.
The photographic marvel of dead sharks, dolphins, turtles, fish, stingrays & the closure of many oyster farms? Fishing & bait shops, coastal town fish n chip shops & caravan parks are encountering 40-60% downturn in business. I’d suggest you put down your camera & look at the real situation.
Dave, this event has never happened to this extent ever before. The main reason is not so much excessive nutrients but a slight warming of the waters off the coast.
In now way is it a photographic marvel but a photographic nightmare.
Why is the ocean warmer? Could it be due to changing ocean currents due to CLIMATE CHANGE?
I think so.
It’s more likely to be the rubbish from up river being flushed out to sea via the Murray that’s feeding the algae. Hence why Murray Watt won’t declare it a natural disaster. He doesn’t want to upset the marginal seats further east. Instead, he reckons it’s in state waters, not federal waters. Wonder if that applies to a cyclone when it hits his home state of Qld??
The algae is now many hundreds of kilometres from the Murray Mouth
I live in South Australia and have seen the Algal bloom, let me assure you this is not alarmism, in fact quite the opposite
There has not been enough press coverage outside SA if this was happening in Sydney all hell would break lose .
The Alge is so thick even the recent storms have failed to break it up.
The coastal towns are in real trouble as many people go to these places to fish , the amount of dead fish being washed up is huge , from large sharks to stingrays and all species of fish.
Our State and Federal Governments should have done more 3 months ago instead they have just sat on their hands.
You would not want this to come to your area.
As a keen fisher gamily we travel aroung S A coastal wateers regularly.
However with algea bloom covering most of the coastal areas we will no longer be travelling to our fishing favourite spots
Even though we are told it is still safe to eat fish, we will not be taking any chances.
Why cancel a coastal holiday in SA?
Like many things these days mass hysteria rules.
The algal bloom is quite expansive but there’s a lot of SA coast totally unaffected.