UK Waters Turning Into Jellyfish Soup

A nuclear power plant in Scotland, Torness, had to be closed down recently when moon jellyfish clogged the water intake system. Several tonnes of the sea creatures had to be removed. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has even described the Irish Sea and the east coast of Scotland as “Jellyfish Soup”.

The polluting factors like sewage which is dumped into the sea increases the number of plankton on which these sea creatures feed. Overfishing also leads to the decrease in number of predators that the jelly fish fear. These predators, which keep the number of jellyfish in check, have been drastically reduced due to bad fishing practices. An environmental pressure group, OCEAN 2012, has been trying hard to stop over-fishing.

The climate change is also favorable to jellyfish and has given them an adaptability which makes them gain advantage over several other sea creatures.

According to Dr Victoria Hobson, from EcoJel, a project researching the distribution and abundance of jellyfish, it is difficult to estimate the number of jellyfish in the UK waters. Factors like increase in water sports and Smartphone usage also makes the sightings of jellyfish more frequent, so it is difficult to say whether the number has risen or the sightings have become common.

EcoJel has been monitoring the number of jellyfish to study the ocean’s health. A rise in their numbers not only impacts the environment but also causes economic disturbance. The reason for this is the jellyfish invasions have known to wipe off entire salmon farms.