Overfishing, pollution contribute to exponential rise 8

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1. 

   naturescene Posted 9:35 am
   11 Jul 2007

   here's something interestingjellyfish mucus perfect for cosmetics

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2. 

   Sam Wells Posted 10:17 am
   11 Jul 2007

   How about Moon Jellyfish?... an Oriental delicacy.
   But my BS-O-Meter went off the scale on this thread.  Sure, the Med may be having an issue - I've seen parts of the US Northeast, Gulf, and West Coast infested with jellyfish at times but hmmm ... seems like back in the 1970's it was much worse.  So without any real scientific research some folks in Spain say "Dios, it's the end of the world!" and Grist picks up on the storyline because it seemed cool.
   Anyway, I've been fishing and surfing down here in the Gulf of Mexico all year and there are NO JELLYFISH.  There should be one about every 25 feet washed up on the beach.  Go figure. Sam
   
   Onward through the fog

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3. 

   azelb Posted 12:17 am
   12 Jul 2007

   The Gulf of Mexico is not the sceneThe infestation was in European waters not the Gulf.

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4. 

   odograph Posted 1:02 am
   12 Jul 2007

   jellyfishI sailed through Monterey Bay a couple years ago, and the jellyfish swarms, species after species, went on for miles and miles.
   I suppose that is the classic case that the herring/anchovy fishery gave them their new niche?
   Is there an ichthiologist in the house?

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5. 

   Tom Twigg Posted 5:51 am
   12 Jul 2007

   Nature, you are so mysteriousWhile I can't speak to this jellyfish concentration (cause/implications), I can say that I have seen very large (and msyterious) contentrations of jellyfish while kayaking in the relatively pristine and healthy waters along the north coast of the Gulf of Alaska.
   On one occasion I paddled across a "column" of jellyfish that was at least a mile long, 20-30 feet wide and of unknown depth, thick with moon jellies of various sizes. It was most bizarre but apparently a naturally occuring event. There had to have been hundreds of thousands of them.
   
   If a twigg falls in the forest but nobody is there to hear it, it's probably best because there is bound to be cussing.

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6. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 6:04 am
   12 Jul 2007

   Sam,One or two personal observations are fairly meaningless, statistically. Oceanographers have enough data to tell if jelly fish swarms are increasing. Most ocean fisheries are expected to collapse in the next 40 or so years.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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7. 

   odograph Posted 6:08 am
   12 Jul 2007

   LA TimesJellyfish featured in that LA Times story, on ocean troubles.  I think they were the ones who said generally that the catch of small fishes (herring, anchovy, etc.)
   Here's the old gristmill link
   Though I'm sure it would take a Monterey Bay expert to give me a solid opinion on that locale ... and two Monterey Bay experts to have an argument ...

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8. 

   caniscandida Posted 8:41 am
   12 Jul 2007

   value of personal observationsWhether or not the proliferation of jellyfish is a securely proved symptom of overfishing, i.e. the hunting, catching and killing of vertebrate fishes beyond what the populations of those fishes can withstand, is something I know nothing about.  But, you know, when it comes to things like that, I tend to trust Andrew Sharpless and his colleagues.
   Whether or not it is good that jellyfish should proliferate, is a controversy on its own.
   Over against that, Sammie's observation (NOT his conclusion) is worth taking seriously.  Sometimes anecdotes matter.  If you see one genuine non-white swan, you have disproved the assertion, "All swans are white."
   
   Chickens are our cousins!
   
   So are other sensitive animals!
   
   Enough is enough!
   
   No more factory farms!

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