Oil-free bubble curtain protects breeding ground gaint cuttlefish population
Each winter, thousands of giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama), unique to southern Australia and known for their dazzling colour displays and intelligence, gather in the Upper Spencer Gulf to reproduce. This near-threatened species is emblematic of the Adelaide region.
Challenge
Giant cuttlefish breeding ground threatened by algal boom. Area to cover: 20,000 m² rocky shoreline
Our solution
A bubble curtain blocks the trajectory of floating algal
The result
Eggs hatching at the shoreline are protected, resulting in the next generation of giant cuttlefish
Toxic algal bloom treathening breading ground giant cuttlefish
A full grown giant cuttlefish
In 2025, when a record-breaking toxic algal bloom threatened to smother up to 80,000 giant cuttlefish eggs along the rocky shoreline at Cuttlefish Coast, the South Australian Department of Environment and Water (DEW) acted swiftly.
They partnered with technology providers Atlas Copco Specialty Rental and Canadian Pond to deploy a bubble curtain—an Australian first for such a large-scale marine conservation challenge.
Oil-free bubble curtain provides the right protection
Credits image Ocean Imaging - Stefan Andrews
This project relies on Bubble Tubing® technology—a perforated tubing system engineered to evenly diffuse oil-free compressed air along its length, creating a continuous bubble barrier. The installed bubble tube layout releases up to 1,600 cfm of Class Zero certified oil-free air. This was generated onsite by two oil-free ZT160FFVSD compressors, with power supplied by a QAC1100 TwinPower. This technology is proven to work reliably, even in the harshest coastal environments.
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.
These bubble curtain techniques have been tested and adopted by aquaculture industry leaders worldwide to shield fish stocks from similar harmful algal blooms and micro-jellyfish swarms.
Swift deployment
The entire installation was completed, commissioned and on standby in just 10 days—ready to protect the cuttlefish spawning grounds if the algal bloom reached the Cuttlefish Coast near Whyalla.
Credits image Ocean Imaging - Stefan Andrews
FAQ bubble curtain application to protect coast lines
How can fragile underwater breeding grounds be protected?
Bubble curtains form a protective underwater barrier. At the same time, by leveraging Class-Zero oil-free air, there is no harm for fauna or flora in environments that are already under pressure.
In addition bubble curtains can be set-up quickly to intervene as quickly as possible where needed.
Electric or diesel-driven compressors, which are better to generate bubble curtains?
This depends on where the bubble curtain is deployed.
- Electic compressors can be used bubble curtains that are managed from on-shore sites
- Once off-shore, diesel driven compressors are typically the best solution. Make sure to check your compressor is fit for offshore circumstances.
Why select oil-free compressed air for bubble curtain applications?
Releasing oil-injected air into any water volume, leads to massive polution. The small oil droplets can enter the marine foodchain or harm their environment. Therefore we always recommend 100% oil-free class zero compressors.