Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis

In reply to the Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) ().3 September 2025).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): I am advised:

Since initial detection in February 2024, the virus that causes AVG has resulted in widespread abalone mortality across our South-East. Given the impact this disease has caused to what was a sustainable and profitable primary industry, surveillance and monitoring of AVG in South Australia is of the highest priority and has been ongoing.

Since the first confirmed outbreak at Port MacDonnell in the state's South-East, significant surveillance by PIRSA, SARDI and industry has been undertaken enabling government to get a good picture of the spread of the disease through the area of the southern zone abalone fishery.

I am advised the furthest west that samples collected tested positive for the virus that causes AVG in the southern zone were from Nora Creina in March 2024. These detections indicated there had been spread of the disease in that fishing zone.

Subsequently, commercial fishers provided government with observation records of abalone stocks as they operated further north west in the zone in January and February 2025 as far as Cape Jaffa.

Based on those observations it was determined in February 2025 that AVG was present throughout the fishing grounds in the southern zone abalone fishery from Cape Jaffa near Kingston SE to the Victorian border. Abundance surveys undertaken by SARDI between February 2024 and 2025 indicated significant depletion of abalone in key fishing areas.

Based on the available information, and with support of the fishing industry, on 6 March 2025 the southern zone abalone commercial and recreational fisheries were closed to all abalone fishing to support rebuilding of abalone stocks.

This closure remains in place and the focus for the fishery is now supporting the recovery of abalone in the southern zone and passive surveillance for the presence of AVG in the other two fishing zones, the central and western abalone fisheries.

To investigate the western-most extent of AVG in the southern zone SARDI has undertaken surveys in the far west of the fishable area of the southern zone abalone fishery at an area known as the Granites near Kingston SE. This area at the eastern end of the Coorong near Kingston SE is generally considered the furthest west abalone would be expected to occur in any numbers. It is noted that the coastal area adjacent to the Coorong beach between Granites and Victor Harbour extends for about 130 km and is considered to contain very limited habitat suitable for abalone.

This Granites survey was conducted in March 2025 with an ROV. The outcomes of this assessment were that the few abalone observed in that area appeared to be healthy and it was considered that AVG was not present in that area at that time.

Abundance surveys of abalone stocks normally require diving at set locations of key abalone populations. The area of the South-East can be subject to rough weather, particularly during the winter, preventing or making diving difficult. Water clarity after rough weather is also often very poor even if the seas are calm, making locating abalone, known for their cryptic nature, very difficult and the rendering the surveys ineffective. These two factors make surveying abalone in any area, but particularly in the South-East very difficult during the winter, and hence no dive surveys have been able to be conducted since February 2025.

A comprehensive program of surveys has been planned to monitor the recovery of abalone in the South-East, and government is committed to continuing this monitoring throughout the closure period.

Commercial abalone divers and the public are the eyes on the water, and any reports of sick or dead abalone are promptly investigated, with the aim to rule out the virus that causes AVG. I am advised that between 27 March and 2 September 2025 a total of 65 abalone collected from reported fish kills have been tested for the virus that causes AVG. All samples tested were negative for the virus that causes AVG. These samples have been collected from a variety of sites across the central and western fishing zones including Cape Jervis on the Fleurieu Peninsula, Vivonne Bay on Kangaroo Island, Seaford, O'Sullivan Beach and Seacliff Beach in the metropolitan area, Stansbury and Edithburgh on Yorke Peninsula, Port Gibbon in Spencer Gulf and near Coffin Bay.

PIRSA is regularly discussing with industry associations and encouraging their divers to be vigilant and report any signs of AVG affected abalone to PIRSA's Fishwatch site.