One jelly that has been a problem for fishermen is the giant jellyfish ( Nemopilema nomurai). Has something changed in the oceans? What effect will the jellies have on fish and other marine life? Will we keep seeing more and more jellies in new places? Or is this just a temporary change that is part of a larger cycle of wind and weather? They have a lot of questions about what is causing these jelly swarms. The changes in jellyfish habits are also worrying scientists like Purcell. Such a swarm of jellyfish causes problems for the fishermen, who sometimes have to stop fishing for days and may get stung while cleaning their nets. Normally, a fisherman might catch one or two giant jellyfish in a week, but during “bloom” years he may catch more than 1,000 in one net.įishermen worry about these huge groups of jellies showing up in new places. These jellyfish sometimes kill the fish that have been caught and damage the nets.įishermen use bamboo poles to push giant jellyfish out of a net. Big floating clumps of the animals are getting caught in fishing nets. Jellyfish are clogging pipes that bring water into power plants. In recent years, massive groups of different jellies have started appearing in places that don’t usually have so many. “It looks like it has bicycle spokes radiating out,” says Purcell.īut crystal jellies aren’t the only ones that intrigue Purcell and other scientists. When this graceful, almost transparent creature is disturbed, it glows along the inner edges of its umbrella-shaped body. Purcell even has a favorite kind of jelly: the baseball-sized crystal jellyfish Aequorea victoria. “I treat them with respect, and if I am going to be around them I wear gloves or some kind of covering.” “I have never been afraid of them,” she says. Purcell has been studying jellies for 30 years. “You just need to be careful around them,” says Jennifer Purcell of the Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes, Wash. But usually the creatures won’t attack you. Jellyfish use these stinging cells to stun their dinner or defend against attackers.Ī jellyfish’s stinging cells can give you a rash and can even make you very sick. The numbness comes from special stinging cells. Like an icy snowball, touching a jellyfish can numb your skin. In some Middle Eastern countries kids have been known to toss jellyfish bits at each other when the gooey creatures wash up on the beach. Imagine throwing globs of jellyfish at your friends.
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