CANBERRA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- More than 200 marine species have been killed by a toxic algal bloom event off the coast of South Australia, according to a new analysis.
OzFish, a fishing conservation NGO, analyzed more than 1,400 citizen science reports of marine creatures that have washed up on the South Australian coast since the bloom event started in March and found that over 200 species have been affected.
It said that around 100 different types of fish and sharks have been killed by the algae.
The large outbreak of the toxic micro-algae Karenia mikimotoi was reported off the South Australian coast in March after dead marine animals and thick foam washed up on beaches.
According to the OzFish analysis, ray-finned fish accounted for 47 percent of the species that were reported washed up between mid-March and mid-May, with sharks and rays accounting for 26 percent.
Soft-bodied cephalopods, including squid, octopus and cuttlefish, accounted for 7 percent of the reported species, and decapods, including crabs, lobsters and prawns, accounted for 6 percent.
OzFish South Australia Project Manager Brad Martin said that most of the dead marine life are species that live on the sea floor on reefs.
"Many of the impacted creatures reside on reefs or hide in sand, and unfortunately, the sheer size of the algae bloom means that they can't escape it," he said in a statement on Monday.
OzFish said that there is believed to be a combination of algae creating the mass kill event and warned that it could take years for populations to recover.
Martin described the bloom as a "toxic blanket" that suffocates marine life, causing hemorrhaging and attacking the nervous system.
Susan Close, the state's environment minister, said earlier in May that the bloom was about the same size as the nearby Kangaroo Island, which has an area of over 4,000 square km.
She said the event was being driven by a marine heatwave coupled with still ocean conditions, and the only thing that could break it up is a change in the weather. ■
