With the toxic blue green algal bloom still permeating East Gippsland’s waterways, further warnings have been issued about consuming seafood.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has cautioned that prawns caught in the Gippsland lakes and five nautical miles off the Gippsland coast between McLoughlins Beach to the New South Wales (NSW) border are not suitable for human consumption because of potentially harmful toxins.
The toxins present in prawns are a direct result of the blue green algae bloom currently impacting the Gippsland Lakes and parts of the Ninety Mile Beach.DELWP warns that with the bloom from the Lakes system running out to the ocean, prawns caught off the East Gippsland coast could be dangerous.
Ingesting toxins by consuming affected seafood can lead to serious illness.

IMAGE: This satellite image from DELWP shows the current chlorophyll levels in the Gippsland Lakes. The red area indicates where the algae bloom is most concentrated while the green indicates more diluted areas. (Photo: DELWP)