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Bowermaster's Adventures: Navigating the hordes of jellyfish
Jellyfish -- those gelatinous, stinging, floating-condoms-of-the-sea, the pint-sized boogeyman of the ocean are fast becoming the equivalent of a coal mine's canaries. Appearing this summer en masse along coastlines around the globe, jellyfish are evidence of just how badly we're treating the ocean and with painful results.
During the last days of summer jellyfish swarmed the Atlantic coast of Spain stinging hundreds on a single day, sending many swimmers to the hospital. While most of the stinging effects would go away in a week or two, many can still itch months later and sometimes require surgery to remove the affected area.
Dubbed a couple years back by the New York Times as the "cockroaches of the sea," hordes of jellyfish have been showing up in similar abundances along beaches in New York, France, Japan and Hawaii, stinging innocent passersby and clogging fishing nets.
While jellyfish do little more than float with the currents and sting only when bumped into, last year more than 30,000 Australians were treated for stings, double the year before. Such swarming used to happen on occasion, but last just a couple days. Now some are lasting for weeks. In Spain this summer a fishing boat from the Murcia region reported an offshore swarm of iridescent purple jellyfish spread over a mile.
"Those jellyfish near shore are a message the sea is sending us saying 'Look how badly you are treating me,' " jellyfish expert Dr. Josep-Maria Gili with the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council told the New York Times.
Experts believe this is a problem that's only going to grow in years to come, thanks to a variety of environmental ills bearing down on the ocean simultaneously:
One bright note to the boom? Some predict in the not-so-distant future jellyfish may be the only marine life left and thus may become a dietary staple. Savvy scientists, like the University of British Columbia's Daniel Pauly, believe thanks largely to overfishing that we better start working on some jellyfish recipes ... and fast.1. GLOBAL WARMING increases sea surface temperatures, which encourage jellyfish growth, as does a corresponding lack of rainfall. Typically freshwater from rain aggregates near shore and helps keeps the jellyfish at a distance; lack of rain due to a changing climate – as they've experienced along the European coasts this summer -- means jellyfish float closer and closer to shore.
2. COASTAL POLLUTION reduces oxygen levels and visibility in the water, which scares most fish away from the shoreline but is conditions in which jellyfish thrive. While most fish have to see their catch, jellyfish filter food from the water, so eat passively.
3. OVERFISHING eliminates natural predators of jellyfish like tuna and swordfish, which also allows for more plankton growth, which helps the jellyfish proliferate.
Eating jellyfish is already prevalent in some Asian and Third World countries where sea cucumbers and sea urchins – "which live off dirt," notes Pauly – are already on menus. When Pauly first suggested the notion of jellyfish sandwiches, it was intended as a joke. Not today.
[flickr image via the glorious and well educated Tuan Bui]
Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Paddling, Ecotourism, Consumer Activism
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
david Oct 5th 2010 8:44PM
What a biased article. Its all lies. Not only are jellyfish not a growing problem, none of the listed "causes" are even true. There is no shortage of jellyfish predators. The sport fish population is actually rising since the economy has reduced sport fishing. Globally, the coastal waters are as pure as they have been in decades due to increased environmental regulations. The temperatures are slightly above average in a few regions but this has been the case for millions of years. We are actually coming out of the coldest period since the 1400's when climate warming boosted agriculture and animal populations thrived. Jellyfish have been stinging swimmers for thousands of years. Their population fluctuates in cycles. This is neither a new or growing problem. This kind of subversive garbage is why the environmental wackos have absolutely no credibility.
geral Oct 5th 2010 8:57PM
Thank you David. I have been an ardent beachbum for years. I actually said to my wife just a few weeks ago that this summer has been noticably devoid of jellyfish. I've had more ocean water time this year than before...no jellyfish...no seaweed.
Just my observations...to quote Dylan..."You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
Again, thanks David for sanity.
bazel Oct 6th 2010 5:13AM
Thank you David, you're the voice of reason. All of these alarmists who don't do their research properly and get all sides of a story. I'm here in Washington state where the weather is getting cooler, not warmer. We have lots of Jellies here in the Puget Sound, but no more than last year. Something important to note and that is that people talk all sorts of unfounded Smack... then they distort it some more with every conversation. What is important is that journalists don't spread untruths. Good for you telling the truth here. Many thanks.
Remi Oct 5th 2010 9:15PM
I just came back from the beach on the Atlantic side, saw no jellyfish but had lots of seaweed. I have been stung by jellyfish before, if you get stung, pee on yourself or pour amonia on the site and it takes the sting out.
kbrown2225 Oct 5th 2010 10:24PM
Oh well if you didn't see any I am sure there is no problem and this whole global warming thing must be nonsense because I totally believe in anecdotal evidence. It snowed last year so that also proves there is no global warming.
pat s. Oct 5th 2010 9:29PM
WELL FOLKS I SPENT 5 WEEKS CIRCUMNAVIGATING AUSTRALIA THIS PAST MARCH/APRIL AND THE 3 TYPES OF JELLIES DOWN UNDER ARE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. THE BOX AND MAN OF WAR JELLIES ARE BAD ENOUGH BUT THE FINGERNAIL SIZE IRIKONJI (SORRY SPELLING BY SOUND) IS VERY DEADLY. HOSPITALIZATION IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HOPE TO SURVIVE. THOSE FOLKS SWIM IN ENCLOSED NETTED AREAS IN RUBBER BODY SUITS. NOT SO BAD ON THE REEF BUT CLOSE TO SHORE IS THE BIG HANG OUT FOR THE WORST ONE. SOUTH OF SYDNEY COLDER WATER KEEPS THEM AT BAY. SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS TO DIE WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT SHARKS OR CROCS WHICH ARE IN THE WATER ALSO, ALONG WITH THE VENOMUS SEA SNAKES. DON'T KID YOURSELVES ABOUT THESE JELLIES EXISTING IN LARGE NUMBERS FOR WHATEVER REASON. WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT RAINY SEASONS CUT THE JELLY POPULATION AROUND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA. STANDS TO REASON ITS TRUE OTHER PLACES TOO.
Holly Oct 5th 2010 9:52PM
THANK YOU FOR YELLING AT US. IT WAS THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE. Try taking off caps lock buddy.
ss252 Oct 5th 2010 9:49PM
GLOBAL WARMING???Give it up you morons..You have been outed,,,,BIG SCAM
Cappy Lills Kid Oct 5th 2010 10:08PM
CLIMATE CHANGE
OPen your eyes and see what is happening to the earth.
DENY DENY DENY till you die but the climate HAS changed.
Susan Oct 5th 2010 10:22PM
My family and I have been spending beautiful summers on the outer banks of NC fo 12 years. This year there it was the year of the jellies -- the beach goers stayed out of the water for several days, and the beach was lined with jelly fish every day. It was the talk of the entire area.
My aunt, living in Florida, told me that they were seeing the same thing there.
Perhaps this was more of an eastern coastal issue, but something has definately changed in the Atlantic. Not sure of the cause, but hope we can find the answer and not avoid that the fact that ocean life is important.
John Oct 5th 2010 10:38PM
The last paragraph really sums it all up. Help! Somebody help! We're being attacked by a new food source! Aren't jelly fish glucosamine of some type? Could this be like God saying, "hey look, a cure for arthritis". I mean really...not to mention the possible medicinal uses for the venom. It's like being attacked by locust. Cool! Grab the nets, we're eating protein tonight. By the way...somebody call all of those poor fishermen who lost their shirts, during the BP oil spill. Could this be an employment opportunity?
krazzicraig Oct 5th 2010 11:15PM
I learned a long time ago that when someone claims all the facts are wrong , they have their own agenda. Some just do not want to face the truth. Others fear it will affect their income. Clearly some here making claims with no data . Just ,it is my opinion.
Joe Papierz Oct 5th 2010 11:18PM
Why do all the AOL writers and people who write comments completely ignore the fact that the planet earth constantly goes through cycles of warming up and cooling off. It's been going on for millions of years without us and our puny machines and will no doubt continue long after we are gone. NOTHING we do can affect those cycles. Man's efforts are far too puny to have any effect on climate.
redhawk Oct 5th 2010 11:48PM
and there were dinosaurs on Noahs ark
MiserableOldFart Oct 6th 2010 12:38AM
Global Warming? Outed?? What you still believe in FOX??? ROTFLMAO!!
Chris Oct 6th 2010 12:46AM
Wow, not only is this article so wrong, they didn't even try. Watch animal planet once and a while! The jellyfish population IS growing too fast, but it is caused by the fishermen. This has been filmed and documented for years, the last we saw was mainly around Japan. This is pretty old news. These hardworking, yet not very enlightened guys, are instructed to cut the jellyfish up and dump them back into the sea... the vidoes we watched showed billions of eggs and sperm realeased with every net they pulled in - you could barely see through it, and the adult jellies were so thick it was amazing - for miles and miles.
The fisherman were/are really fucking up the natural system of when and where the jellies mated... which always brought their predators around... so the jellies are out of control. But who knows how longs that has been going on. But to balme it on global warming and polution? A fish farm couldn't handle someone randomly dumping extra eggs and sperm into the pools in only one season... but warming the surface of the water by one degrees makes a differnce? around the whole world? Just another attempt to make us fall for the scam to make us all "change" and buy new "green" crap. I'll help save the planet when someone tells the truth.
Side thoughts - 1. who decided to rename the jellyfish to sea jellies? we are not that stupid, we know they are not fish. They've renamed the T-rex and brontosaurus - and God knows what else - to me, that is nothing but selfishness of the new scientists - grow up and make your OWN discoveries.
2. why do some scientists say jellyfish are hundreds of tiny separate "animals" working together as one... and yet they have eggs and sperm that make 1 jellyfish, not a just "part" of one?
Samantha Oct 6th 2010 2:32AM
I live on the North Shore of Long island and have been stung several times by jellies while swimming this summer. We had a brief infestation of Lion's Manes, then they moved out of the harbor into the central Sound channel again. Problem is, even when they are not close to shore, the jet ski's and harbor traffic of pleasure craft at higher speeds often chop them up into fine pieces that you can't see until stung. Our beach keeps a gallon of vinegar on hand for such times.When I was in Australia, we were warned that from October to April, we had to either swim behind the "stinger nets" or wear a sheer bodysuit. My last sting this year was in mid-September, and I'm still itching, no matter what.
Bryan L. Oct 6th 2010 5:51AM
The article was interesting till I came across the two words "GLOBAL WARMING"..
krazzicraig Oct 6th 2010 7:30AM
Climate change is nothing new. What is new is the rate of change and how this change is being caused. If the ice caps melt it will be a good thing for the earth. It will not be good for people . Maybe it will be good for both . There are too many people here . The heard needs to be thinned out. 6.9 billion people is just too many for the earth.