Warning after huge numbers of deadly jellyfish found

The jellyfish is the same type which led to the deaths of more than 100,000 salmon at Northern Ireland’s only salmon farm, Northern Salmon, in November 2007.

Councils along the coast have been contacted, along with the fish farm hit in the swamping two years ago.

The jellyfish had been observed coming ashore in large numbers. Whilst mass strandings of jellyfish are partially a reflection of persistent onshore winds, there is a growing consensus that a combination of climate change and overfishing is resulting in increases in both the abundance and frequency of jellyfish blooms throughout the North Atlantic.  

Warmer seas increase the rates of reproduction in some species and overfishing of species such as tuna and swordfish has also removed many of the jellyfish’s natural predators. 

However, NIEA marine biologist Gary Burrows said that although numbers were impressive, there were no indications at this stage of a substantial bloom on the scale of the 2007 event.  

“NIEA will continue to monitor jellyfish blooms through its ongoing marine surveillance programmes and inform DARD and local authorities of any further developments. Support to scientists studying jellyfish aggregations will continue through the provision of samples and periodic plankton trawls onboard the NIEA research vessel," he said.