Authorities in an Australian state closed two beaches on Tuesday after dead fish and unusual whitish foam washed up on the shore and surfers reported feeling ill.
Sam Gaylard, chief scientist at the South Australian Environment Protection Authority, said the algae bloom, caused by unusual weather conditions, was thought to have caused illness in humans and marine life and resulted in foam covering hundreds of metres of shoreline.
“It's very concerning,” Mr Gaylard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“It's unusual on this scale. At this time of year, when the weather permits, we sometimes see individual flowers, but something on this scale is definitely a bit unusual.”
Waitpinga Beach and neighbouring Parsons Beach, south of South Australia's capital Adelaide, have been closed to the public since Monday due to “an incident of fish mortality in the area”, the Department of Environment and Water said in a statement.
“The beaches will be opened as soon as possible,” the department said.
Dozens of dead fish were reported to have washed up on the shore.
Surfers have been complaining of sore eyes, sore throats and coughing after coming into contact with the water since the weekend, according to local resident Anthony Rowland, who was surfing at Waitping on Saturday.
“While we were there we started coughing,” Mr Rowland said, referring to his fellow surfers. He said he was stunned by the reaction of other surfers after he posted his experience online.
“We've had a lot of people come forward, many of whom have said they had exactly the same symptoms,” Mr Rowland said.
On Monday, ocean scientists took water samples from the foam, a by-product of the toxic organisms' breakdown, but Mr Gaylard said it could take until the end of the week to identify the organism.
Mr Gaylard said the bloom of microalgae – microscopic single-celled organisms – could have been caused by a recent prolonged period of hot, dry weather with low winds and low tides.
He said waves had been building in the area since Sunday and the turbulence could destroy the seaweed and cause more foam to form.
“We're not sure at this point how long this will last,” Mr Gaylard said.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
