Victor Harbor fisherman Rod Ness cancels charter services as algal bloom wreaks havoc on Fleurieu Peninsula

It’s not just surfers and beachgoers cancelling their trips in this SA hotspot now.

A Victor Harbor fisherman has taken drastic measures to protect his clients as a microalgal bloom continues to affect the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Rod Ness, 69, is the owner-operator of a fresh fish shop and charter business, taking customers out on his fleet of boats to fish off Victor Harbor.

Mr Ness made the difficult decision this week to cancel his charters due to uncertainties surrounding the algal bloom that has killed fish on mass along the peninsula, particularly as to whether fish caught would be safe to eat.

“I chose to cancel a lot of our charters just to be on the safe side,” Mr Ness told The Advertiser.

“I think we had like nearly 70 people booked to go out on charters this week, and I chose to contact them, explain it to them, and all of them have appreciated what I’ve done and said look, we’ll just rebook for another time.”

Mr Ness said the cancelled charters would have totalled around $15,000 in revenue, but he was more concerned about the health of his customers.

Victor Harbor charter fisherman Rod Ness has cancelled his charters as microalgal bloom continues to cause havoc on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Picture: Brad Fleet

“One of the ladies that was coming on a charter with me yesterday, I was explaining things to her and she said, ‘we don’t walk our dogs along the beach anymore’.”

“She had asthma and she said she knew it was affecting her asthma and her skin was a little bit irritated as well.”

“When you get those walking on the beach, that’s not good.”

“You can go fishing any day,” he said.

Mr Ness said this is the first time he’s had to cancel charters due to an algae bloom, with the last major bloom off Kangaroo Island being dispersed by strong winds before it hit the Fleurieu.

He also said his fellow fishermen had reported the algae and dead fish washing up along the coast down to Cape Jaffa and Robe.

It comes as the state government announced on Tuesday that the toxic foam found across the Fleurieu had been identified as Karenia mikimotoi, an algae toxic to fish and invertebrates that can cause flu-like symptoms if exposed to humans.

Environment minister Susan Close urged people to avoid the water and shoreline along the affected beaches, and said that Waitpinga and Parsons beaches would remain closed until the bloom dissipates.

Originally published as Victor Harbor fisherman Rod Ness cancels charter services as algal bloom wreaks havoc on Fleurieu Peninsula