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Port Fairy abalone divers tread water in wake of viral shockwaves

The $187m abalone industry in Victoria’s south-west waters has been hit with a viral double whammy – first by a shellfish virus, now human coronavirus. But industry leaders and scientists say there may be a silver lining in preparing for the looming threat of warmer waters. Else Kennedy continues our latest Citizen Regional Reporting Project special series Future Forecast: Spotlight on the South-West.

Port Fairy abalone divers tread water in wake of viral shockwaves

Port Fairy abalone diver Craig Fox: "With the climate change, we are trying to gather as much data as we can. All you can do is look after the fishery the best you can at the time. And hopefully Mother Nature looks after us, I guess." Image: Western Abalone Divers Association.

By Else Kennedy
 

Unless something shifts dramatically – and soon – humanity will overshoot global ambitions to hold temperature rise to 2°C this century.

In this special series, Future Forecast: Spotlight on the South-West, University of Melbourne journalism students take a deep dive into what this means on the ground – and in the ocean – for communities along Victoria’s south-west coast. This is part of an ongoing Citizen Regional Reporting Project, with future editions focusing on other parts of the state.

This article is a multimedia feature, and co-published with ABC Regional on The Country Hour.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS MULTIMEDIA FEATURED ARTICLE

 

 

About The Citizen

THE CITIZEN is a publication of the Centre for Advancing Journalism. It has several aims. Foremost, it is a teaching tool that showcases the work of the students in the University of Melbourne’s Master of Journalism and Master of International Journalism programs, giving them real-world experience in working for publication and to deadline. Find out more →

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