Hundreds of West Coast rock lobster and other marine animals washed ashore near Elands Bay following a red tide event last week.
Photographer Steve Benjamin documented the scene early on Wednesday morning, 25 February, after receiving an alert about a rock lobster walkout linked to red tide on Elands Bay point
His images show stretches of coastline scattered with washed-up rock lobster while authorities attempted to relocate the dying crustaceans to deeper, oxygen-stable water.
Fish and other sea creatures affected by low-oxygen conditions
Benjamin noted how the ocean had appeared very different just hours earlier, as he and his wife had watched the bioluminescence shimmer in the dark.
“The same [algal] bloom that lit up the ocean had revealed its darker side,” he wrote. “Massive bio-load. Oxygen stripped from the water. Nothing left for marine life to breathe.”
The marine photographer proceeded to gather a small cross-section of what had washed up to show that it wasn’t only rock lobster that had been affected.
“There were dark shy sharks, two pyjama sharks, and a heartbreaking number of rock suckers – one of my favourite fish,” he added.
“There were also smaller numbers of jackopever, mullet, juvenile galjoen, Hottentot, plenty of klipfish, sea urchins and octopus.”
Red tide results in lobster walkout
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) confirmed that red tide conditions triggered large-scale marine walkouts and mortalities in and around Elands Bay last week.
The DFFE warned the public that the washed-up rock lobster and fish were not safe for human consumption.
“The time of death of these animals cannot be confirmed, and exposure to algal toxins and bacterial contamination poses a serious health risk,” the DFFE said.
In spite of these warnings, Benjamin noted how some locals were collecting lobster tails from the washed-up mass.
The DFFE subsequently activated the West Coast Rock Lobster Walkout Contingency Plan, which included relocating live rock lobsters and conducting scientific assessments of affected stocks.
What causes these events?
Mass walkouts linked to red tides are driven by dense algal blooms, often dinoflagellates (a type of plankton), that build up in the water column.
When that biomass collapses and begins to decay, bacteria consume the dissolved oxygen, and sea creatures begin to suffocate.
Rock lobsters in particular begin to move toward shallow, wave-aerated water in an attempt to access higher oxygen concentrations in the surf.
However, when levels remain critically low, the lobsters become lethargic and disoriented. The waves push them higher and higher until they’re eventually stranded on the beach.
A similar red tide event was reported along parts of the West Coast in January, when large numbers of white mussels, whelks and other shellfish washed ashore near St Helena Bay and Elandsbaai.
