Authorities say a marine heatwave is the likely culprit behind the deaths of more than 30-thousand fish off WA earlier this month. With the harsh conditions expected to last through the summer, there are growing fears the damage could spread down the coast.
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00:00A massive fish kill in WA's north, who worries more is still to come.
00:10It's on a scale which is very similar to the heat waves that we had in 2010, 2011, which
00:17really led to some significant fish mortalities.
00:21Water temperatures near the state's north coast are currently four to five degrees Celsius
00:26above the long-term average, while in the Gascoyne bioregion they're two to three degrees
00:31higher than normal.
00:33This ocean glider is being prepared to probe how deep the problem goes.
00:37They are ocean robots that we put in the water and we basically pilot them through satellite
00:43from this lab.
00:45First detected in September last year, marine heatwave conditions are predicted to continue
00:50through January and February.
00:53It's very much related to climate change.
00:56Our temperatures are warmer than what it is before, so when we have these heatwaves we
01:01have a much more severe effect of these events.
01:04It's fuelling calls to protect WA's precious marine environments, like the World Heritage
01:08Listed Ningaloo Reef.
01:10It's not hypothetical.
01:11It really needs to see a response, which is to not make things worse by opening up new
01:17oil and gas fields, for example.
01:19Experts are comparing the heatwave to the summer of 2010 to 2011, which saw ocean temperatures
01:23of WA reach record levels.
01:26The effects are still being felt by some fisheries more than a decade later, and locals are fearful
01:31history might repeat.
01:33In Shark Bay, more than 1,300 square kilometres of seagrass were wiped out by the 2010-2011
01:40heatwave.
01:42Indigenous-owned business Tidal Moon has been working to restore the underwater meadows.
01:47When we lose something as significant as a seagrass meadow through an intense heatwave,
01:53that will have ongoing effects through all types of plants and animals.
01:57Waves of uncertainty on WA's beloved blue waters.