Toxic Oceans Suffocating Fish

Thousands of fish, sharks, rays and other marine life are currently suffocating underwater and are washing up dead on the beaches of South Australia.

It’s a marine disaster which is causing local kangaroo deaths too. 

The images of Australia’s beaches covered in deceased wildlife are really distressing.

But as the ocean warms, these events could become more common.

The ocean will become more toxic to humans, wildlife and even the creatures that live in it.

So what’s making it uninhabitable at the moment?

What’s causing the foamy waves, sick locals and dead marine life spreading along the South Australian coastline?

It’s a marine heatwave which has allowed large amounts of a specific micro algae to grow.

Specifically the spreading and dominating of a harmful micro algae called Karenia mikimotoi.

It’s called a microalgal bloom.

This algae depletes the oxygen in water, and can damage the gills of fish making it toxic to fish and invertebrates.

It can also make people to get sick too, causing stomach problems and allergic reactions.

The algae can grow in Australia but also in New Zealand, Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America.

The EPA has said:

This widespread bloom is ringing alarm bells for marine ecologists.

Scientists want to see investigations on the impact warming ocean temperatures will have on the frequency and severity of these mass fatality blooms.

The hope is that once the blooms are over that the ecosystem can recover.

But if these blooms become more frequent and more widespread, on top of other climate change factors oceans won’t have time to recover between these catastrophic events.

This could result in an ocean that is toxic to wildlife and people.

That is why the government needs to take urgent action.

This needs to be taken seriously and investigated properly, so we can prepare for the future with a warming ocean.