A NASTY STING

Rising number of jellyfish swarm the UK coastlines

Words by Tianna Williams

“Something just touched my foot!” A statement proclaimed from even the most confident sea swimmer when venturing into the UK’s coastal waters. Another less dignified approach involves a scream followed by clambering onto the nearest thing possible, normally a fellow swimmer, in an attempt to elevate ourselves out of the water. Don’t worry we’ve all been there. Even though the UK doesn’t have a track record for deadly marine life unlike our Australian sister, we do have a new epidemic of a less stealthy ocean dweller. Behold, the jellyfish.

Although to the naked eye they are brainless blobs of jelly, they strike fear in any human at the thought of getting a nasty sting. According to the Marine Conservation Society there has been a record-breaking number of jellies bobbing around our favourite beaches, but where have they appeared from and why are they here?

Land of the jellyfish

Martin Attrill, marine biologist, and lecturer at Plymouth University, helped bring clarity to this murky discovery. When asked why there are suddenly so many jellyfish, Martin was actually fighting their corner, “Jellyfish are an entirely natural component of the UK’s plankton and are important predators.” He continued to say the reason we notice them is because they drift with currents and winds, and if they come across land, (like a bay), they can get stuck leading to numbers building up.

According to Martin, some jellyfish like cold water and others a warmer temperature. This means they arrive from either the northwest waters, or come up from the southwest, but this all depends on the winds and currents. “This is why you get years where some are common and other years when a different species dominates,” he said.

Due to the temperature and climate drastically changing, we may need to be on the lookout for a more dangerous jellyfish when we go out for a paddle. Martin said, “When there have been strong southwesterly winds and currents, we can get rarer and more dangerous species such as portuguese man o’war . These are quite different from the normal jellyfish and are a colony of many different individuals that each have different roles.”

A colony of jellyfish does not sound like a fun mix to get tangled up with. Even though this deadly species is a rarer sighting, there are six main species that have chosen the UK as their top coastal spot. These include the compass jellyfish, moon jellyfish, barrel jellyfish, lion’s mane jellyfish, blue jellyfish, Portuguese man o’war

When thinking of a jelly’s main predator, turtles are at the top of the list. With an increase in jellyfish will this mean we won’t have to travel to Greece to see our favourite chilled out ocean dweller?

“It is possible,” said Martin. “The main turtle associated with jellyfish, (they eat them), is the leatherback and there are sightings of this turtle each year on the west coast.”

If spotting jellyfish is more your thing, then according to Martin the west coast of Scotland and Cornwall tend to be the best spots. When in the water with a jellyfish it is always best not to touch them just in case - several species like the lion’s mane can give a nasty sting but, if you are sensitive, you can get a reaction from all species. The dome shaped head of a jelly is harmless but if you see one in the water it is best to swim in front of it, if you can’t avoid it, rather than behind as some species can trail stinging tentacles several metres behind them.

Overall, jellyfish are relatively harmless and when venturing into the sea be prepared to be sharing the waters with other marine life.