Humans are usually not affected by eating the algae directly. They can be harmed by eating animals like fish or shellfish who have eaten the algae.

Two major toxins from algae can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and ciguatera, and shellfish industries across United States, Canada, Europe and Asia are forced to shut down when the toxic algae are detected.

Many coastal areas of Australia have already been infected with toxic algae from the ballast water of ships, although Western Australia has so far avoided any incidences of toxic algal blooms.

Associate Professor Borowitzka and Dr Michelle Buttery from Murdoch University are watchdogs for Western Australian waters with a service to check which algae are present.

“We look for factors that make the algae form these toxic blooms and find ways to model the systems effectively in the laboratory,” said Associate Professor Borowitzka.

The Murdoch team have successfully monitored water around Bunbury, Shark Bay, the Swan River and Fremantle for marine authorities.