Protecting Whyalla’s Giant Cuttlefish with Bubble Tubing®

The Project

In response to an unusually large toxic algae bloom in the Spencer Gulf, the Department of Environment and Water (DEW) of South Australia launched a new initiative: a bubble curtain for giant cuttlefish conservation! With this investment, DEW aims to protect the spawning grounds of a near-threatened species that is emblematic of the region. The bubble curtain is designed to safeguard 20,000 m² of rocky shoreline, where between 50,000 and 80,000 cuttlefish eggs will overwinter before hatching in the spring.

This project relies on our Bubble Tubing® technology—a perforated tubing system engineered to evenly diffuse compressed air along its length, creating a continuous bubble barrier. The fast-start curtain was designed with the gulf’s tidal movements in mind, using single and double layers of Bubble Tubing® to efficiently divert algae away from the protected site. This technique of protecting a zone with a bubble curtain has been tested and adopted by aquaculture industry leaders worldwide to shield fish stocks from similar harmful algae blooms and micro-jellyfish swarms.

Atlas Copco Specialty Rental provided valuable support to the initiative by supplying the oil free air compressors needed to operate the bubble curtain system. Their reliable, high-performance equipment and timely delivery contributed to the swift deployment of the system, helping protect the cuttlefish spawning grounds before the algae bloom reached the area.

Thanks to the rapid deployment of the bubble curtain, the cuttlefish eggs are now safely enclosed within the protected zone. While the algae bloom has not yet reached the shoreline, monitoring continues. More updates will follow as the situation evolves.

Media Coverage Related to Giant Cuttlefish Protection by Bubble Tubing®:

• ‘Bubble curtain’ ready to protect cuttlefish as algal bloom persists in SA
• Marine ecologist explains new “bubble shield” installed to protect cuttlefish from ongoing algal bloom in South Australia
• ‘Bubble curtain’ to protect giant Australian cuttlefish from South Australia’s toxic algal bloom
• Lifting the (bubble) curtain on cuttlefish protection
• Air bubble curtains will protect cuttlefish nursery from algal bloom, the SA Government hopes
• Bubble curtain to protect giant cuttlefish from algal bloom
• South Australia installs bubble curtains to protect giant cuttlefish