Over Fishing Equals Giant Jellyfish

Dr Richardson and his colleagues reviewed literature linking jellyfish blooms with overfishing and eutrophication (high levels of nutrients).

Jellyfish are normally kept in check by fish, which eat small jellyfish and compete for jellyfish food such as zooplankton, he says.

But with overfishing, jellyfish numbers are increasing. Jellyfish feed on fish eggs and larvae, further impacting on fish numbers.

To add insult to injury, nitrogen and phosphorous in run-off cause red phytoplankton blooms, which create low-oxygen dead zones where jellyfish survive, but fish cannot.

Source

This shows what happens when Humans upset an ecosystem . Now other then looking at restricting fishing quotes I don't really have any ideas towards fixing the population explosion of large Jellyfish other then what is mentioned in the article of course . IMO the problem is going to be particularly bad because in Asia , or rather Japan the cultural mentality doesnt seem to allow for anything related towards conservation. Japanese Whaling is an example of the idea I am trying to convey .

ahh wonder if this is related to that crop circle

[edit on 8/6/09 by dallas18]

Originally posted by dallas18
ahh wonder if this is related to that crop circle

[edit on 8/6/09 by dallas18]

I know you where joking, but that is a really interesting thought. Makes sense.

Before I even opened the thread I was thinking "Less fish to eat the cnidarian (jellyfish) food."

Anything that -we- do that throws off the natural balance is a shame. Nothing more to it.

I have an iTouch application that lists common edible fish and their ecological status. So if a fish is listed "Not to eat" because of overfishing or something, I don't eat it. It's a free application that everyone should have if they have an iTouch or iPhone.