The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has confirmed that the event where large numbers of dead white mussel, whelks and other shellfish were washed out at St Helena Bay and Elandsbaai on the West Coast has remained confined to those two areas.
Observations by Fisheries Control Officers (FCOs) and satellite imagery, indicate visible red tides from Elandsbaai 100km northward, to above the Olifants Estuary on the West Coast.
There have been no mortalities of fish or shellfish reported associated with these visible new red tides. However, there remains a high risk of toxicity and it is still advised that “all shellfish, irrespective of being washed out or collected from shore or subtidal, should not be eaten”.
Satellite imagery and reports by members of the public and FCOs, also confirm a visible red tide in Walker Bay, Hermanus.
“This red tide is bioluminescent, the phytoplankton producing spectacular flashes of colour at night. There have been no reported fish or shellfish mortalities reported with this red tide but a cautionary approach remains that no shellfish be collected and eaten,” the DFFE said.
Further eastwards, there has been a mass mortality of fish in the Hartenbos Estuary in Mosselbaai. This mass mortality, the department said, is not due to a red tide, but is the result of sewerage discharge and resultant eutrophication and ammonia toxicity.
“There are a variety of reasons for the current mass kills and washouts of fish and shellfish on the West and South Coasts. However, the department cautions members of the public to refrain from eating any washed out marine animals as they carry significant health risks, rendering them unsuitable for consumption,” the department said.
READ | Public warned against consuming dead shellfish
The DFFE will continue to monitor the situations with respect to the extent of the red tides and resultant mass mortalities on the West Coast and South Coast. – SAnews.gov.za
