Ocean Sentry
(From dw-world.de) Jellyfish are taking over Europe”s favorite swimming spots in increasing numbers. Scientists blame climate change and overfishing for the proliferation of the stinging nuisance.
Overfishing is one cause for the explosion in jellyfish populations, said Ricardo Aguilar, research director for the non-governmental organization Oceana. Jellyfish predators such as tuna, sharks and turtles are disappearing. The lack of predators also means a lack of competition for plankton and small fish, which make up the jellyfish diet.
While Mediterranean resort areas will be hardest hit by the jellyfish plague this summer, there will also be high concentrations in the Baltic and North Seas, according to scientists. They warn that the dramatic increase in jellyfish is a sign that ocean ecosystems are out of whack.
“Jellyfish are an excellent bellwether for the environment,” Jacqueline Goy of the Oceanographic Institute of Paris told AFP news agency. “The more jellyfish, the stronger the signal that something has changed.”
