“It was pretty confronting,” she told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n
“It’s just one in a series of terrible things that we’ve witnessed on our beaches since the toxic algal bloom commenced<\/a>.”<\/p>\n There were concerns that dogs walking off-leash on the beach could eat the dead crabs.<\/p>\n (Susan Belperio)<\/p>\n In March 2025, residents around Adelaide began noticing mass die-offs of marine life<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although the significance of the incident was originally played down by the state government, scientists believe millions of animals have died.<\/a><\/p>\n The bloom is continuing to impact the state’s marine environment, tourism and the fishing industry.<\/a><\/p>\n This month, only a handful of giant cuttlefish were seen at Whyalla<\/a>, their only breeding ground<\/a> in the world, causing travellers to cancel their trips.<\/p>\n State shares theories around mass crab die-off<\/p>\n The Department of Primary Industries (PIRSA) does not believe the mass crab deaths have been caused by algae.<\/p>\n Testing has shown only low levels of the toxic Karenia strain<\/a> along the metropolitan coast.<\/p>\n “Samples have been collected, and investigations into the cause of the incident are underway,” it said in a statement.<\/p>\n “While the cause of this incident is not yet known, marine mortality events can occur by a variety of causes, including changes to environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, or oxygen levels, or through the introduction of disease or pollutants.”<\/p>\n No matter the cause, like many South Australians, Belperio is feeling worn down by the ongoing destruction of the natural environment.<\/p>\n Around 1,000 dead crabs were counted on a 100-metre stretch of beach.<\/p>\n (Susan Belperio)Fear grandchildren will experience degraded natural world<\/p>\n It’s feared there will be more blooms in the future, as a combination of nutrient runoff from farming and warmer waters caused by climate change has been identified as a key cause.<\/p>\n “I want my granddaughters to be able to see the diversity of life in the oceans that I have seen,” she said.<\/p>\n She first began documenting the crabs 10 days ago, then returned on the weekend to count them in a 100-square-metre area.<\/p>\n “We counted well over a thousand on Sunday, but yesterday there were around half that number,” she said.<\/p>\n If the crabs have been poisoned, there is concern that seabird health could be affected.<\/p>\n (Susan Belperio)<\/p>\n She has fears that the gulls and other seabirds could fall ill if they gorge themselves on the crabs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because of the mass die-off caused by the algal bloom, many seabirds are struggling to find enough food to sustain themselves, and the crabs present an enticing opportunity.<\/p>\n There are also concerns about dogs ingesting the crabs, as they’ve died in an off-lead area.<\/p>\n South Australia is one of the three states where H5 avian influenza has been confirmed.<\/a><\/p>\n If the virus<\/a> affects local wildlife as it has overseas, it will cause mass mortalities of birds and mammals.<\/a><\/p>\n RELATED:<\/p>\n In particular, the majority of Australia’s mainland sea lions live in the state, and they have already experienced a significant jump in mortalities due to the algal bloom.<\/p>\n They are also among the species most likely to be affected by H5.<\/p>\n Around 30,000 closely related sea lion pups died in South America when they were exposed to the virus.<\/p>\n “There’s a psychological effect that these waves of disasters have had,” Belperio said.<\/p>\n “It does feel never-ending and unrelenting.”<\/p>\n Government conducts water test at Glenelg<\/p>\n Following publication of this article, PIRSA issued a follow-up statement, saying tests did not detect the harmful Karenia algae at Glenelg, indicating the crabs were not directly poisoned by the bloom.<\/p>\n “Spider crabs are known to migrate to shallow waters in winter in South Australia, where they are likely to moult and breed,” it said in an email.<\/p>\n “PIRSA officers observed several spider crabs moult shells at Grange.<\/p>\n “The event is more likely to reflect a combination of natural seasonal crab activity and the recent weather, including heavy rainfall, freshwater runoff, large tides and rough onshore conditions that may have changed nearshore water quality and transported crabs and discarded moult shells onto the beach.”<\/p>\n Do you have a story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/glenelg-beach-dogs-crabs_1026.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/glenelg-crabs_8520.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/gulls_5277.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n