WFS Admin

To boost morale during the disastrous marine bloom affecting the South Australian coast, the state government has announced it will build oyster reefs at 15 locations in SA’s two gulfs and around Kangaroo Island.

Recfish SA said this was the largest recreational fishing support in South Australian history.

SA Premier Peter Malinauskasis said the oyster reefs would help restore the environment and be a natural defence against algal blooms.

The reefs are in addition to modular unit reefs already announced.

The oyster reefs will cover a total of 15 hectares.

While this is great news, and the state’s existing oyster reef installions have thrived (at least until the recent bloom), fishos wonder whether these reefs will be “scrubbing the ballroom floor with a toothbrush” if the vast algal blooms persist.

Research has noticed a recent change in Southern Ocean current. This may or may not have contributed to a cold water upwelling that supposedly helped get the bloom going, along with unusually warm water, calm weather and a major Murray River flood that dumped coastal nutrients back in 2022/23.

The million dollar questions are: Will bloom conditions persist into the future? Will the oyster reefs and associated fish survive them?

Murray floods and warm water will of course happen more under climate change, and there may be more chance of cold water upwellings.

Interesting times.