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>A plague of jellyfish along Europe's beaches has >become the latest environmental hazard to be blamed on >global warming. > >Holidaymakers heading for Mediterranean beaches are >being warned to prepare for an unprecedented invasion >of the invertebrates whose sting can, in extreme >cases, cause heart failure. > >Oceana, which campaigns to protect and restore the >world's oceans, attributes the rise in the number of >jellyfish to a rise in water temperature because of >climate change. It also highlights over-fishing of >natural predators that feed on jellyfish, and >pollution along the continent's coasts. > >The group sent a research boat around Spain's coastal >waters last month and concluded that many beaches are >suffering an "invasion by this species". > >After navigating the waters of the Mar Menor, Ricardo >Aguilar, the director of research on Oceana's >catamaran, said: "We have found jellyfish all over the >Mediterranean, but in this area we've seen >concentrations of more than 10 jellyfish per square >metre. Wherever we look, there is practically nowhere >without jellyfish." > >Among the most notorious of jellyfish is the >Portuguese man of war (Physalia physalis), whose >stings can produce painful burns for bathers, and have >even led to heart failure. > >The Spanish researchers highlighted the prevalence of >the purple jellyfish or mauve stinger (Pelagia >noctiluca), whose stings can provoke severe swelling, >burning pain and allergic reactions. > >Other scientists have noticed the growing numbers of >jellyfish. Gianluca Sara, the assistant professor of >ecology and marine biology at the University of >Palermo, plans to launch a research project on the >issue in the autumn. > >Dr Sara said: "I have no scientific data but, as an >observer, there seems to be a huge increase along the >Sicilian coast. I feel that temperature increase and >over-fishing are related to this though, at the >moment, this is only my feeling." > >Jellyfish spend most of their lives in the open seas, >because that is where the water tends to be more >saline and warmer. > >However, researchers believe they approach beaches >when water near the coast, which is generally colder >and less saline, stops acting as a barrier. That has >happened in many places as there is less freshwater >entering the sea from rivers because of the drought. > >Oceana also blames the industrialised nature of modern >fishing for reducing the number of predators that >normally feed on jellyfish and keep their population >under control. > >Sometimes deliberately, sometimes accidentally through >by-catches, fisherman have caught tuna, swordfish, >moonfish, triggerfish and certain kinds of sea turtles >- especially the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys >coriacea), which is a major jellyfish predator. > >Another cause of the invasion of the invertebrates may >be the increase in nutrients in seawater due to >contamination from land. Changing ocean tides could >also be instrumental. > >Advice from Oceana for those who are stung by >jellyfish is to avoid rubbing the affected area with >sand or with a towel. It says that freshwater should >not be applied to the sting as the change in salinity >could cause the stinging cells to burst and liberate >the poison. It recommends using an ice pack in a >plastic bag to avoid direct contact with the skin, >unless the ice is made from seawater.
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