Brits urged to look out for harmful jellyfish
Lion's Mane Jellyfish have been seen in the Irish Sea and off Scotland's east coast
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Friday, 25, Jul 2008 09:38
As families head to the seaside on summer holidays conservationists have warned them to be on the lookout for potentially harmful jellyfish.
Large jellyfish blooms have already been spotted on beaches in England, Scotland and Wales and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says that as the seas warm up during summer more blooms can be expected.
While some, such as the moon jellyfish, are harmless others including Portuguese Man of War are potentially dangerous.
The MCS wants people to report their sightings of the creatures as part of its jellyfish survey but urged them not to touch them.
"This year's jellyfish season started in April in the Irish Sea, when barrel jellyfish were reported off the Welsh coast," said Peter Richardson, MCS biodiversity programme manager.
"In May we started to receive reports of big blooms of the harmless moon jellyfish from around the UK, and then through June and July, large numbers of the beautiful blue and compass jellyfish also started to wash up on our beaches,
"Blooms of the stinging Lion's Mane jellyfish have been recorded in the Irish Sea as well as on Scotland's east coast, and a potentially dangerous Portuguese Man Of War was recorded near Land's End in Cornwall in mid-July. As ever, we are encouraging holidaymakers to take part in our national jellyfish survey, but the key message is look, don't touch!"
The MCS hopes its jellyfish survey will also help to find out more about critically endangered leatherback turtles, as they migrate thousands of miles to UK waters to feed on jellyfish each summer.
By mapping where and when the jellyfish are seen, MCS aims to understand more about leatherback turtles while they visit in UK seas.