Sarah Herrmann, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Shark sightings close to the shores of numerous South Australian beaches have prompted the SA Government to extend aerial shark patrols — but Yorke Peninsula is not included.

Sharks have been spotted in shallow waters at Marion Bay on April 24, Black Point on April 23, and Port Vincent on April 19, according to the Shark Watch SA Facebook page. Sightings have also been reported at Adelaide, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island beaches.

Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA told the YP Country Times on April 24 it was aware of community concerns about sightings across the state, including on YP.

“It is not uncommon for white sharks to utilise coastal waters in search of food, in particular juvenile and sub-adult white sharks who are primarily fish eaters,” a PIRSA spokesperson said.

“They use such near-shore areas to hunt for small sharks, rays and skates, along with larger schooling fish species, including salmon, mullet and snapper.”

On Saturday, April 26, Emergency Services Minister Emily Bourke announced aerial shark patrols would be extended by a month, until the end of May, due to sustained warmer weather and shark sightings in popular areas.

The surveillance aircraft would continue to monitor Adelaide and FP beaches on weekends, she said.

When asked by the YPCT [Yorke Peninsula Country Times] why surveillance didn’t extend to YP, a spokesperson said the SA Government was working on shark mitigation efforts.

“Late last year, the state government announced $500,000 toward shark mitigation, with $450,000 to Surf Lifesaving SA and $50,000 to expand the use of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to community aquatic events, including in regional areas,” they said.

“SLSSA are continuing to carry out coastal risk assessments across key coastal communities — including the Yorke Peninsula, with site visits recently conducted to the southern end of the region as part of this process.

“Once this work is complete it will assist with consolidating both short and medium to long-term measures.

“Funding will support risk mitigation initiatives such as drones, drone pilot training, education programs, beach signage and trauma kits.”

Algae bloom to blame?

The continuing microalgae bloom could be the reason for increased shark sightings, according to University of South Australia shark fear researcher Brianna Le Busque.

“The assumption would be that this is currently impacting shark behaviours in that area,” she told the YPCT.

“(However) sharks do often come in close to shore for a number of reasons, so seeing a shark close to shore is not within itself unusual.

“Sharks are top of mind for South Australians at the moment, especially given the large media coverage, so it is not surprising that we’re seeing more people capture footage of sharks and share it on social media.

“In terms of safety, a strong mitigation of shark bites that we have is telling people when there is a shark in the area, so that they can make the decision to go in the water or not.

“This is what the shark spotting approach we have in SA is based on, so it is best that people do not enter the water if there is a known shark in the area.”

PIRSA did not confirm whether the shark sightings were linked to the microalgae bloom.

The department was investigating the death of a 2.7 metre white shark washed up on the reef at Port Moorowie on April 18, and was waiting on necropsy reports to see if the incident was linked to the algae, a spokesperson told YPCT on April 24.

They said a total of 14 reports involving dead fish and marine creatures had so far been received by PIRSA from across Yorke Peninsula since April 5, including at Coobowie, Edithburgh, Point Moorowie, Port Vincent, Stansbury, Butlers Beach, Marion Bay and Pondalowie.

Only the first two of those locations had the toxic microalgae Karenia mikimotoi in their water samples.

K. mikimotoi can cause mass marine species mortalities at varying concentrations and is known to impact the gills of fish.

To report dead or dying marine life, call FISHWATCH on 1800 065 522 or, for water quality concerns, contact the Environment Protection Authority on 1800 623 445 or via yourepa@sa.gov.au.

For health advice, visit the SA Health website.

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 29 April 2025.