The South Australian government, the federal Coalition, and Labor’s top climate change adviser have all backed calls for the Commonwealth to fund a response to a major marine catastrophe off the coast of Adelaide, where it hopes to host a global climate conference next year.

A toxic algal bloom fuelled by above-average sea temperatures has killed tens of thousands of fish, stingrays, sharks and myriad other creatures in South Australian waters since February, and led to apocalyptic scenes on Adelaide’s metropolitan beaches.