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Giant Jellyfish Sink Japanese Fishing Trawler

Giant Jellyfish Sink Japanese Fishing Trawler

Japan has not yet forgotten the assault of the giant jellyfish in 2005 and 2007, when it is being threatened by another invasion. When the giant Nomura jellyfish last invaded Japan, they caused millions of dollars of loss to Japan’s fishing and other coastal industries by damaging fishing nets, trawlers, fishing equipment and even the propeller systems of ships. In 2007, there were 15,500 reports of damage to fishing equipment caused by the creatures. Apart from causing damage to property, these jellyfish caused more havoc by also rendering fish in their vicinity inedible with their toxic stings. Also, a lot of fishermen suffered from wounds and injuries caused by the stings of these jellyfish.

In recent news, Diasan Shinsho-maru, a fishing trawler capsized off Chiba`as its three-man crew was trying to haul in a net containing dozens of huge Nomura's jellyfish. The crew of the fishing boat was thrown into the sea when the vessel capsized, but the three men were rescued by another trawler, according to the Mainichi newspaper. The local Coast Guard office reported that the weather was clear and the sea was calm at the time of the accident.

Not very much is known about the giant Nomura’s jellyfish. We know that they can easily grow up to 200 kilograms in weight and about 2 meters in diameter. Experts believe that weather and water conditions in the breeding grounds, off the coast of China, have been ideal for the jellyfish in recent months. On the other hand, a decline in the number of predators, which include sea turtles and certain species of fish, mostly caused by over fishing and change of climate, has led to the proliferation of the jellyfish in the region.

But, there are still many mysteries surrounding Nomura’s jellyfish. Firstly, they are not sighted every year. They seemed to appear every alternate year, in 2005 and 2007, but were not visible in 2009. They are however, sightings of these jellyfish off the coast of Japan this year, in 2010. Also, if weather conditions as well as lack of predators create ideal conditions for the Nomura’s jellyfish, how come they are not visible every season? Are there mysteries about their mating or migrating cycle that we still need to unfold? While there is a lot of scientific interest in the matter, it is also becoming an urgent problem to solve as the assault on Japan’s fishing industries continues unabated by these giant jellyfish.

Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/6483758/Japanese-fishing-trawler-sunk-by-giant-jellyfish.html