Nets Pulled from the Sea Filled with Jellyfish... "Massive" Swarms Continue to Move In

[Anchor]

As water temperatures rise due to intense heat waves, jellyfish are running rampant off the coasts of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju. Fishermen are spending more time chasing away jellyfish than actually fishing.

KBC reporter Kim Yeon-jun has the report.

[Reporter]

It is about an hour and a half away by boat from the official government vessel pier in Yeosu.

The fishing nets set by a vessel to catch hairtail are completely filled 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 maximum length and possessing strong toxicity.

Stings can induce breathing difficulties or even shock, and they are fatal to fish as well.

Fishermen frequently give up fishing altogether because of the incoming jellyfish.

[Han Chang-wan / Captain of a trap net fishing boat: The amount of jellyfish is massive. (Because of the jellyfish) there are no fish to begin with, and as you can see, fish cannot enter.]

Jellyfish, whose reproduction rates have increased due to high water temperatures, are running rampant in the waters off South Jeolla Province.

In the waters off the southern coast of South Jeolla Province, Moon jellyfish were found at an average of over 3,000 per hectare across 12 observation points, prompting advisory alerts.

Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish also show an appearance rate of 20% over the week, running rampant in the waters of Yeonggwang, Sinan, Goheung, and Yeosu.

High water temperature alerts have continued for over two weeks in various parts of the South Jeolla-Gwangju waters, such as Yeojaman Bay and Deukryangman Bay, posing a persistent problem ahead.

[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 continue to flow in from the south for the time being, so massive appearances are projected.]

As the seas grow warmer, fish are decreasing while jellyfish are increasing, deepening the distress of fishermen.

(Video by: Kim Hyung-soo, KBC)

KBC Kim Yeon-jun
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.