[Anchor]

As sea temperatures rise due to the heat wave, jellyfish are running rampant in the seas off 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 an hour and a half away by boat from the official vessel pier in Yeosu.

The nets set by fishing boats to catch cutlassfish are entirely filled with swarms of jellyfish.

Crew members try to push them away with hooks, but there is no end in sight.

These are Nomura's jellyfish, which can reach up to 2 meters in length and carry strong venom.

Stings can cause breathing difficulties and 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 of a Pound 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 enter.]

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

In the coastal waters of the South Sea in South Jeolla Province, more than 3,000 Moon jellyfish per hectare were found across 12 observation points, prompting advisory warnings.

Nomura's jellyfish also show an appearance rate of 20% over a week, and are 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 South Jeolla-Gwangju waters, including Yeoja Bay and Deukryang Bay, raising further concerns.

[Kim Kyeong-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 Nomura's jellyfish, they are expected to continue flowing in from the south for the time being, so large-scale appearances are forecasted.]

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

(Photo courtesy of KBC / Video by Kim Hyung-soo)

KBC Kim Yeon-jun