
Killer jellyfish population explosion warning
08/02/2008 - Telegraph
...The really bad news is that the box jellyfish and another equally poisonous species, Irukandji, are on the move....
...perplexed Japanese salmon fishermen are seen hauling in tonnes of box jellyfish in their nets. The few fish they do haul in are writhing in their death agonies after being stung.
An attempt by the Japanese government to protect their fish stocks by wiping out the swarms using a fleet of commandeered fishing boats to drag razor-sharp wire through them backfired spectacularly.
Scientists discovered captured big female box jellyfish were swollen with millions of eggs - far more than they would normally carry. Similarly males were carrying billions of sperm. Trying to kill them had unleashed a breeding explosion because they are genetically programmed to ensure their survival by producing more offspring than normal when under attack....
....The swarms of jellyfish are multiplying in the Western extent of the Pacific ocean and threatening 20,000 miles of coastline off Japan, Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea and Australia....more...
Also see the FG threads:
Killer Kurage Attack!
The Healing Power of Silicon Jellyfish