Commercial fisherman Bart Butson first noticed signs of the harmful algal bloom near the head of the Gulf St Vincent in Port Wakefield back in early June, following a significant storm.

"We went out onto the sea, and it was a different colour — it was a horrible greeny, grey colour," Mr Butson said.

"There was hundreds and hundreds of dead cuttlefish floating on top of the water.

" It was from that moment that I thought to myself, 'Oh my goodness, we're all in a bit of trouble here.' "

Mr Butson said within two weeks of the weather event, calamari had virtually disappeared from the waters.

"The catches dropped rapidly within a two-to-three-week period, and we haven't seen the calamari for 10 weeks," he said.

"It's like they never existed."

Mr Butson outlined his concerns at a publ

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