Jellyfish vs. Humans: Who's at Stake?
You may think that the overpopulation of jellyfish only affects people such as fishermen or people that live close to the ocean or bay, but it actually affects everybody. The US, Japan, China, and many other countries are negatively affected by jellyfish and here's why.
Think of the food that you've been eating during the past few weeks or month. If fish or shrimp was your answer, then the jellyfish bloom probably affects you. In "Eventually, jellyfish might rule the world. What should the art world do about it?", Damon Young (2014), an Australian Philosopher, writer, and commentator, states "A billion people get their protein from fish, and half a billion people are financially reliant on the fishing industry" (par. 7)
A large amount of people in the world buy fish such as body builders because it's a rich source or protein, owners of restaurants and buffets need them to serve people, and the average person needs it just to stay healthy, but the jellyfish swarm kills so many sea creatures in a number of ways; they sting them, it consumes most of the plankton in the sea which in turn kills small fishes that need food, and it suffocates fish, such as salmon, by forcing them to breathe in mucus that contains stinging cells.
This killing of fish will devastate many fishing industries because all they will be catching are jellyfish, small amounts of fish, or nothing at all. In 2005, the Sea of Japan was overpopulated with jellyfish and the fishery in that area lost 30 billion yen which equates to a bit less than 300 million dollars. There is a continuous cycle of fish being sold in different countries and that's how money is made for these fisheries, but if all they catch are small amounts of fish then they won't be making enough to keep the business going and on top of that, it will hurt the super markets that sell fish to people. And this is how many countries are affected by these evil, harmless looking sea creatures.
When was the last time you or any of your friends and family went to the beach? I'm pretty sure you know somebody and this overpopulation affects those who go to beaches. In "Jellyfish Overpopulation - A Threat To The Oceans", Celia (2009) asserts that the reason why jellyfish are blooming in many areas of the sea such as beaches is because of over-fishing, which creates vast space for jellyfish to migrate to, and human activities that pollutes the waters (par. 1).
With summer coming in, hot weather breaking out, there is bound to be jellyfish floating around in beaches such as Florida, Hawaii, and Australia. These things keep vacationers from enjoying their precious time at a resort beach because lifeguards would have to close them down and they pose a threat of stinging people and having a chance of killing them.
A large amount of people in the world buy fish such as body builders because it's a rich source or protein, owners of restaurants and buffets need them to serve people, and the average person needs it just to stay healthy, but the jellyfish swarm kills so many sea creatures in a number of ways; they sting them, it consumes most of the plankton in the sea which in turn kills small fishes that need food, and it suffocates fish, such as salmon, by forcing them to breathe in mucus that contains stinging cells.
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| Jellyfish swarm in the Sea of Japan. By Taniguchi, Niu Fisheries Cooperative | Discovery.com |
When was the last time you or any of your friends and family went to the beach? I'm pretty sure you know somebody and this overpopulation affects those who go to beaches. In "Jellyfish Overpopulation - A Threat To The Oceans", Celia (2009) asserts that the reason why jellyfish are blooming in many areas of the sea such as beaches is because of over-fishing, which creates vast space for jellyfish to migrate to, and human activities that pollutes the waters (par. 1).
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| Jellyfish washed up on Cocoa Beach, Florida By CNN | CNN.com |
If you haven't heard, there was a jellyfish clogging in the pipes of Sweden which caused the nuclear power plant to shut down. And this isn't the only time they've done it; jellyfish have clogged other nuclear plants around the world. If you're wondering why it affects us, ask yourself how it would feel to live without electricity.
These nuclear power plants are needed to provide us electricity for our homes and ovens to cook, and without it, it would simply be a black out. The jellyfish clogging in Sweden caused the power plant to shut down for a couple days, so that means people weren't able to cook anything until the reactor was fixed.
References
Editor of Fabius Maximus Website. " 'Water-Borne Zombies' - Jellyfish warning us to behave better" FabiusMaximus, 5 March 2014. Web. 25 March 2014.
CNN. Jellyfish washed up on shore of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Photograph. 2011. 1,600-plus Florida beachgoers stung by jellyfish, official says. Web. 25 March 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/31/florida.jellyfish/>
McCulley, Janet. Jellyfish swarm in the Sea of Japan. Photograph. 2003. Gigantic Jellyfish Invade the Sea of Japan. discovery. Web. 24 March 2014. <http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news/2009/07/gigantic-jellyfish-invade-the-sea-of-japan.html>
McVeigh, Tracy. "Explosion in jellyfish numbers may lead to ecological disaster, warn scientists." Theguardian, 11 June 2011. Web. 24 March 2014.
N.A. "Jellyfish clog pipes of Swedish nuclear reactor forcing plant shutdown." TheGuardian. 1 October 2013. Web. 25 March 2014.
Stone, Richard. "Massive Outbreak of Jellyfish Could Spell Trouble for Fisheries." yale, 13 January 2011. Web. 25 March 2014.
Young, Damon. "Eventually, jellyfish might rule the world. What should the art world do about it?." Theguardian, 18 February 2014. Web. 24 March 2014.
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