Climate change and intensive fishing are increasing the jellyfish population. Human impact on marine ecosystems is also causing a reduction in the number of fish in the ocean and this favors the spread of jellyfish
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Climate change and intensive fishing are increasing the jellyfish population. Human impact on marine ecosystems is also causing a reduction in the number of fish in the ocean and this favors the spread of jellyfish.
Jellyfish boom, the causes and dangers
A dangerous mix: global warming and intensive fishing are causing jellyfish populations to proliferate. Since there are fewer fish to eat them, their numbers are constantly increasing. And the consequences are quite worrying for both marine ecosystems and human activities.
Suffice it to say that they can also be dangerous for nuclear power plants because they can block the water that cools the reactors as well as the fish farms, where thousands of jellyfish they get stuck in the nets, sometimes killing hundreds of salmon due to the reduced amount of oxygen.
Some species are poisonous, and therefore caution is required when we find some near us in the sea or on the beaches. Unfortunately, the problem does not seem to hint at improving on the contrary, it gets worse because the seas become more acidic and warmer.
… And the questionable solutions
But instead of thinking about how to prevent their spread, going to the root of the problem, the European Union has decided to stop them before they reach our coastal waters, exploiting them for various purposes. Since the potential mass of these blooms in Europe is huge, the EU wants to find a way to use jellyfish.
The project GoJelly, coordinated by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research, in Germany, would like to use jellyfish as a raw material for the production of microplastic filters, fertilizers or food for fishing. The European Union has now approved a loan of € 6 million.
Solutions that arouse a bitter smile. It is true that jellyfish are now widespread but instead of thinking about how to exploit them for commercial purposes, we should invest to reduce the impact of climate change.
READ also:
- NEW INVASION OF JELLYFISH IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA
- JELLYFISH: THEY INCREASE DUE TO POLLUTION
It is being discussed these days in Bonn, on the occasion of the Cop23. Limiting the global rise in temperatures is the only way to go to save the planet from the climate catastrophe and its consequences.
Francesca Mancuso
