News Release April 28th, 2009
Algae behind oil slick concerns marine park
Residents of the Coffs Coast will be pleased to know that algae are behind a suspected oil slick in the Solitary Islands Marine Park over the weekend.
Solitary Islands Marine Park manager Nicola Johnstone said she was called out to the suspected oil spill at Hearnes Lake Beach and Mullaway Beach on Saturday.
“A lot of residents were concerned as the water looked black and oily. We took samples and a marine algal specialist from the National Marine Science Centre confirmed that micro algae are the culprit.
“We are now awaiting the results to identify what type of algae it is. We do know however that it’s unlikely to be harmful to humans.
It’s not uncommon for these algae events to occur following heavy rain and large seas, like we’ve experienced it this region recently.”
Ms Johnstone said the response from the community had been fantastic.
“It’s an indication to us of just how many people care about this beautiful marine park and I encourage people in the community to contact the marine park office on 02 6652 0900 if they do see anything unusual in the park.”
The Solitary Islands Marine Park is one of six marine parks in NSW. Protective zoning has been in place in some areas since 1991, making it one of the oldest marine protected areas in NSW.
The park stretches over 75 kilometres from Muttonbird Island in the south to the Sandon River and Plover Island in the north. The marine park is home to 550 species of reef fish, 90 species of hard coral and 600 species of molluscs.
The marine park also supports a range of threatened and protected species such as the grey nurse shark, black cod, turtles, whales, shore birds and rare marine algae.
Media Contact: Tonia Liosatos
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