[Anchor]
As water temperatures rise due to intense heatwaves, jellyfish are running rampant off the coast of Jeollanam-do and Gwangju. Fishermen are spending more time chasing away jellyfish than actually fishing.
KBC reporter Kim Yeon-jun has the details.
[Reporter]
It is an hour and a half by boat from the Yeosu government vessel pier into the open sea.
The nets set by fishing boats to catch hairtail are completely packed with swarms of jellyfish.
Crew members try to push them away with hooks, but there is no end in sight.
They are Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish, reaching up to 2 meters in length with potent toxicity.
Stings can cause respiratory distress or even shock, and they are fatal to fish as well.
Fishermen frequently have to give up fishing altogether due to the swarming jellyfish.
[Han Chang-wan / Set-net Fishing Boat Captain : The amount of jellyfish is enormous. (Because of the jellyfish) there are no fish to begin with, and as you can see, the fish cannot enter.]
Jellyfish, whose reproduction rates have surged due to high water temperatures, are running rampant across the waters of Jeollanam-do.
In the coastal waters of the South Sea in Jeollanam-do, an advisory has been issued after more than 3,000 Moon jellyfish per 1 hectare were found across 12 observation points.
The appearance rate of Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish has also reached 20% over a week, running rampant in the waters of Yeonggwang, Sinan, Goheung, and Yeosu.
High water temperature advisories have continued for over two weeks in various parts of the Jeollanam-do and Gwangju waters, including Yeojam Bay and Deukryang Bay, raising concerns for the future.
[Kim Kyung-yeon / Researcher, Climate Change Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science : They grow in May and June, and adults are mainly seen in the summer. In the case of the Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish, they are expected to continue flowing in from the south for the time being, leading to massive appearances.]
As the warming seas cause fish to decrease and jellyfish to increase, the distress among fishermen is deepening.
(Photo: Kim Hyung-soo, KBC)
KBC Kim Yeon-jun
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