The first pilchard deaths were reported in South Australia during March 1995 in the eastern region of the Great Australian Bight. Subsequently, dead pilchards were found both east and west of this point source moving in a 'bushfire-like' front at an average of 3Q km/day. By early May the fronts had reached Albany in Western Australia f0il A) and Bass Strait in Victoria. They continued moving up both coasts, reaching Carnarvon f0il A) and Noosa Heads (Queensland) by the end of June, thereby affecting pilchards throughout their entire Australian distribution (6700 km). In early June, a similar pattern of deaths began to occur in the north of New Zealand..
