The number of stinging jellyfish has increased in various coastal locations around the world during the last few years.
Spanish authorities warned those heading to the country’s Mediterranean coast that massive swarms of jellyfish are likely to cause a hazard to bathers this summer, even in the shallow waters near shore.
The Barcelona-based Institute of Marine Sciences says overfishing has eliminated many of the natural predators and competitors that used to keep the gooey invertebrate population under control.
Institute research professor Josep-Maria Gili said the recent growth in jellyfish numbers “is a message from the sea that something is wrong.”
Other marine experts say that global warming has also brought about the ideal conditions for jellyfish to breed in the western Mediterranean: mild temperatures, little rain and a lack of the usual winter rainstorms.
Similar growth in jellyfish populations has recently occurred in Japan, Namibia, Alaska, Venezuela and western Australia, Gili said.
Photo: Dale Kimberling
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