Pulled the Nets From the Sea, Only to Find... More Jellyfish Pour In

[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 report.

[Reporter]

An hour and a half away by boat from the Yeosu government vessel pier in the open sea.

A fishing net cast to catch hairtail is instead filled entirely 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 and possessing strong toxicity.

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

Fishermen frequently have to give up fishing altogether due to the incoming jellyfish.

[Han Chang-wan / Captain, Set-net Fishing Boat: The amount of jellyfish is enormous. Because of the jellyfish, there are no fish to begin with, and as you can see, fish cannot even enter.]

Jellyfish, whose reproduction rate has increased 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 an average of over 3,000 moon jellyfish per hectare were found across 12 observation points.

Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish also show a 25 percent appearance rate over a week, running rampant in the waters of Yeonggwang, Sinan, Goheung, and Yeosu.

High water temperature advisories have continued for more than two weeks in various parts of the Jeollanam-do and Gwangju waters, such as Yeojamang and Deukryangmang, posing ongoing problems.

[Kim Kyung-yeon / Researcher, Climate Change Research Division, National Institute of Fisheries Science: They grow in May and June, and during the summer, adults are mainly seen. In the case of Nemopilema nomurai, they continue to flow in from the south for the time being, so massive appearances are projected.]

As the seas grow hotter, fish decrease while jellyfish increase, 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.