The Science Show
Saturday 6 February 2016 12:05PM (view full episode)
Changing environmental conditions associated with climate change are thought to be behind a devastating algal bloom which shut the Tasmanian seafood industry for four months during the second half of 2015. The algae produce toxins which accumulate in seafood such as mussels making them poisonous for human consumption. Other seafood affected included oysters, scallops and lobsters. The bloom stretched for 200 kilometres down Tasmania’s east coast and was the largest observed in forty years.