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Hordes of invading jellyfish plague Gulf Coast fishermen

An army of jellyfish is clogging fishing nets in the Gulf of Mexico

September 20, 2000
Web posted at: 12:55 PM EDT (1655 GMT)

From Mary Pflum
CNN Environment Correspondent

GRAND ISLE, Louisiana (CNN) -- Scientists call them Phyllorhiza punctata. Fishermen call them the "terminators."

In reality, they are an army of large jellyfish that are making waves in the northern Gulf of Mexico off the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Marine biologists say swimmers shouldn't worry about this particular type of jellyfish because their toxicity levels are low. But shrimpers and fishermen do have a reason to worry. They are losing money because of the brainless, boneless creatures.

"When you're catching jellyfish, it smothers everything," said shrimper Chris Camardelle. "It's like putting a plastic bag" over the catch.

The "terminators" are clogging nets, breaking equipment and may also be eating fish eggs and shrimp larvae.

"You would have to see the jelly that we've caught. We pick up from 800 to 1,000 pounds (of jellyfish) at a time every 30 to 40 minutes," said shrimper Miko Roussel.

The invading jellyfish are native to the Indo-Pacific around Australia

Gulf Coast states are accustomed to dealing with jellyfish such as the "cannonball" and "four-eye" varieties. But the "terminators" took fishermen and marine biologists by surprise when they surfaced by the hundreds of thousands this summer -- half a world away from their native habitat.

"It apparently is native to the Indo-Pacific around Australia. We think that it probably was introduced to the Caribbean some years ago probably either via ship ballast waters or in the polyp stage on the hulls of ships that come through the Panama Canal," said professor Jim Cowan, a marine scientist with the University of Alabama.

It's thought that a loop current system brought the jellyfish from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico and that drought conditions have enabled the species to thrive.

Scientists say the onset of winter may well be the solution to the Gulf Coast jellyfish problems. But they admit it will be at least a year before they know for certain whether the creatures are going to stay.

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University of Alabama
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
National Aquarium of Baltimore

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