Desalination Plant May Threaten Cuttlefish

Marine biologists are worried that a proposed desalination plant in South Australia's Spencer Gulf could threaten a unique marine spectacle. Mining giant BHP Billiton plans to build the plant to supply water to its expanding uranium mine at Roxby Downs. Whyalla dive operator Tony Bramley shares scientists' concerns, that highly salty discharges from the plant could damage the Australian giant cuttlefish. He says the cuttlefish gather near Whyalla in winter for a spectacular mating display. "The animals have to have rocky ledges and shelves to put their eggs under, there's very few other sites that meet that criteria in this gulf," he said. "They basically all come here to spawn every year and we get this huge aggregation in very shallow, sheltered protected waters, very clear visibility in winter time. "It's so easy for people to just walk into the water and see one of the greatest spectacles in nature."