Task force to probe fish deaths
A special task force has been set up to investigate South Australia’s deadly marine mystery, even though the Government claims to have cracked the case.
It is blaming strange environmental factors, and believes the worst is over, but some are still not convinced.
Steve Waites and Lewis Beaumont don’t work for the government, but they have launched their own investigation into what has killed thousands of fish along the coast.
At least 17 dolphins and several penguins have also washed up dead.
Today, Mr Waites and Mr Beaumont were out in a boat testing the water next to the new desal plant.
“All the dead fish are just here at the exclusion zone,” said Mr Waites.
They measured salinity levels and counted dead fish.
“If there is a problem and we do find something, we want to notify the public," said Mr Beaumont.
But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ruled out the desal plant as a suspect in the mass fish deaths.
“Those tests have indicated that the most likely cause is due to natural phenomena,” Fisheries Minister Gail Gago said.
The dead marine life has been discovered across South Australia, from Gulf St Vincent, to the South East and on the West Coast.
Today, Government scientists collected water samples off the south coast, and went diving for dead fish off the Port Noarlunga jetty.
They are convinced unusual weather and an algal bloom are to blame.
“But I think it is petering out and certainly the fish we saw today underwater were quite healthy and happy,” Vic Neverauskas from Biosecurity SA said.
But he cannot explain the 17 dolphins that have washed up dead.
It is hoped postmortems carried out this afternoon will provide some answers.
“There must be something going on because it is unusual, but it could well be a natural event,” Cath Kemper from the Dolphin Trauma Group said.
