Australia usually hosts the world's biggest cuttlefish mating event - not this year

Australia usually hosts the world’s biggest cuttlefish mating event – not this year. Every winter, a stretch of the South Australian shoreline becomes the site of the planet’s largest gathering of giant cuttlefish. In many seasons, hundreds of thousands of the solitary marine species endemic to Australia congregate along the Cuttlefish Coast for the annual breeding period, displaying their colourful, shape‑shifting bodies in shallow waters and drawing thousands of eager divers. This year, however, attendance hit the lowest level on record, prompting fears of a “catastrophic decline” for the population. Official figures released this period estimate that only 1,811 cuttlefish arrived to spawn, down from 63,000 the previous year – a 97 % decrease. Authorities attribute the sharp drop to a toxic algal bloom that has plagued the state’s coastline for more than 18 months (see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y7nze38p5o). The low numbers have also spurred calls for the species to be listed as endangered. Adult cuttlefish normally die after breeding, making each reproductive cycle vital for the species’ future. Yet in recent months just 440 eggs have been counted, instead of the millions typically deposited. Manny Katz, 28, was one of four divers who spent hours on the shoreline last period to observe the annual breeding event, having been tasked by South Australia’s Department of Environment and Water (DEW). "Because determination person been truthful fewer cuttlefish, DEW thought it would beryllium worthy going retired and trying to bash an appraisal of however galore eggs determination presently are astir the coastline to recognize what the colonisation is going to berylliam adjacent year." Over two days in July, his team conducted eight one‑hour dives, searching the undersides of rocky reefs to tally the eggs. "Along the 8 kilometres (five miles) of coastline, determination would usually beryllium millions of eggs," helium said, arsenic each pistillate tin laic dozens of ovum and tens of thousands usually crook up to breed." "[We] beauteous overmuch looked nether each azygous stone that we could person and we lone recovered astrom 440 eggs."