jellyfish tagged posts

The number of jellyfish spotted in UK waters and on beaches increased by 32% in the past year, according to a survey by the Marine Conservation Society. The most commonly spotted were the huge barrel jellyfish – but rarer warm-water crystal jellyfish were also seen. Jellyfish populations vary naturally over time – but climate change warming the UK seas is creating favourable conditions.

A marine heatwave in June increased UK water temperatures by about 3-4C.

The world has warmed 1.1C compared to the pre-industrial period before humans began burning fossil fuels and a series of broken records this year is alarming scientists.

In August, oceans hit their highest global average temperature on record.

The Marine Conservation Society’s annual wildlife-sightings report is based on...

We should be eating more jellyfish if we want to save the planet, says new research.

Scientists at the University of Queensland, Australia say we should be increasing our consumption of jellyfish worldwide, in order to protect threatened fish species and safeguard marine conservation efforts. Fishing is an ongoing threat to 96 per cent of threatened fish species, and the only ongoing threat for some, according to the IUCN.

The research found that 91 globally threatened species of fish are being legally caught on an industrial scale. Around 15 per cent of these species are traded internationally, mainly for consumption across Europe. This includes fish like haddock, Atlantic horse mackerel, and bigeye tuna. 

“It should be illegal to eat something that is threatened by extinction, ...

A fleet of robotic jellyfish has been designed to monitor delicate ecosystems, including coral reefs. The underwater drones were invented by engineers at Florida Atlantic University and are driven by rings of hydraulic tentacles. The robots can squeeze through tight holes without causing damage.

One expert praised the design but warned that the man-made jellyfish might be eaten by turtles.

The flexible, 20cm-wide bots are modelled on the appearance of the moon jellyfish during its larval stage.

The design is intended to be less environmentally disruptive than a drone submarine, according to Prof Erik Engeberg, of Florida Atlantic University.

“Mini-submarines are rigid and typically use a propeller for locomotion,” he said...

A jellyfish usually found in colder waters has been discovered stranded near Newquay, Cornwall. The unusual blue jellyfish was spotted by a group from the Manor House Activity Centre in St Issey. The jellyfish, found at Trevone Bay, has been given to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay.

“We’ve seen several washing up over recent weeks but this is the first live specimen we’ve come across,” Lee Charnock from the aquarium said.

“Full-grown specimens can reach up to 15 centimetres in diameter and have metre-long stinging tentacles which they use to catch their prey.”

There are more than 200 known species of jellyfish. The blue jellyfish is usually found in the western Pacific around Japan and off the west coast of Scotland.

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