Mesmeric movements of schools of jellyfish are beautiful from a distance, but they are growing exponentially in number and stings in the warm southern waters off Mallorca, Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.  In some cases, there are more than a dozen jellyfish per square meter. The coastal picture warps into shards of pain when an individual is stung accidentally trodding upon or splashing to close to the jellyfish.  Spain's beautiful autonomous archipelago is among the lush places beckoning resort goers in the heat of the summer season.  Mallorca, land of the beautiful serene beaches and teal seas, is staving off a bloom of jellyfish that is marauding from Nice to the Iberian coast from conditions that bespeak the ill health of our ocean systems. (Dani Cardona/Reuters)

“These jellyfish near shore are a message the sea is sending us saying, ‘Look how badly you are treating me,’ ” said Dr. Josep-María Gili, a leading jellyfish expert, who has studied them at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona for more than 20 years.

The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows.


These problems are pronounced in the Mediterranean, a sea bounded by more than a dozen countries that rely on it for business and pleasure. Left unchecked in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, these problems could make the swarms of jellyfish menacing coastlines a grim vision of seas to come.

To keep the waters inviting boats are tasked with using nets or wet vacuuming up jellyfish straight from the southern waters closest to the prime beach areas off the Balearic Islands.  Pelagia Noctiluca and the venomous Portuguese Man O'War whose sting is potentially fatal are sharing the sea coast off the shores of the islands.  These areas reap the majority of the season's profits during the traditional European vacation, making the top resorts in the area take extreme measures to ensure safety and prompt attention to clients.  Spain boasts no private beaches and the jellyfish are taking full advantage.

Next year could be worse.

2 August, 2008