“If you see it, buy it, and tell your friends.”
That’s the message from Federal Nationals Senator for New South Wales, and Shadow Minister for Fisheries and Forestry, Ross Cadell, about the importance of supporting South Australia’s seafood industry despite the challenges faced by the ongoing algal bloom.
“South Australian seafood remains best in fleet and should be the first item in your shopping cart if you’re planning a seafood feast this Spring,” Cadell said.
“Despite the challenges faced by the industry, South Australian seafood remains safe to consume and among the world’s most sought-after.”
Cadell expressed his appreciation to the near 100 witnesses who shared their stories as part of the Senate Inquiry into algal blooms in South Australia.
Across four days, the Committee travelled to Seacliff, Port Lincoln, Ardrossan, and Victor Harbor. A final hearing will take place in Canberra later this month.
“When my colleague Tom Venning and I walked Ardrossan Jetty in June – I came to realise just how significant the South Australian Algal Bloom was,” Cadell said.
“In Ardrossan this week, I met a woman volunteering behind the bar at the Community Club. She had lost regular work in the tourism industry because of the bloom and was in tears at the fear of the unknown of what’s next.
“She was one of the dozens of individuals who brought home the true impact of this bloom.
“This algal bloom is not just an environmental disaster impacting the fishing industry, it is social calamity tearing apart the coastal communities of South Australia.
“These communities are resolute, but they need your support.
“If you haven’t yet booked a summer holiday, pack your empty esky, and plan a road trip to coastal South Australia.”
At Victor Harbor on Friday, a panel of local fishing industry stakeholders shared their firsthand experiences of the algal bloom. Nathan Eatts of Cape Calamari told the Inquiry the presence of the species disappeared overnight around Easter.
“We had a good catch on Good Friday and nothing the next day,” he told the Inquiry, noting it was now 147 days since he had caught calamari.
“We have to catch fish to stay alive.”
The Inquiry also heard from the Mayor of Kangaroo Island, Michael Pengilly, who left the room stunned when he shared that he was given no warning of a visit to the island by the Prime Minister.
“I wasn’t informed of it,” Pengilly said.
“I got a phone call from someone in Canberra, who probably shouldn’t have rung me, to say he was on Kangaroo Island. Was I with him? I said, “Well, don’t know where he is.” It was as simple as that.
“It was pretty much an exercise in getting a photo taken.”
The committee is due to report its findings in late October.
