Jellyfish Bloom Swamps British Coastline
Date: 12-Jul-04
Country: UK
Author: Astrid Zweynert
Masses of electric blue, bright red and purple jellyfish, some of them with 30 foot stinging tentacles, have been found on beaches and in the seas of England and Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) said last week.
It wants seaside visitors to report their jellyfish encounters to help put together a catalog of where the creatures live.
"Even though they are a familiar sight, we don't know much about them," Sue Ranger, wildlife projects officer at the MCS told Reuters. "There is very little known about their biology and their distribution."
It is also hoped the survey will provide insights into the life of the endangered leatherback turtle, which comes to feed on jellyfish in British seas.
Swarms of the giant Lion's Mane, Britain's largest jellyfish species which can reach over 6 feet in diameter and cause a nasty sting, have appeared off the northwest coast of England and Scotland.
Thousands of massive, venomous Barrel jellyfish have been recorded in the Irish Sea and washed up on Welsh beaches, while vast blooms of the harmless Moon jellyfish have also been found.
Ranger said it was unclear why jellyfish numbers had increased.
"What we want to do with the survey is to overlay it with other environmental information to find out which conditions make jellyfish appear in such high numbers," she said.
Around half the jellyfish found in British waters can sting. To help swimmers know which half, the MCS is distributing a free guide to the eight most common species.
