Gigantic Jellyfish Invade Japan's Coast!!! Fishermen Concerned About Jellyfish!!!

Sounds like a Japanese Sci Fi movie and yet, it is a true story! :(

For years giant jellyfish have swarmed the Sea of Japan. But at up to seven feet in diameter and some weighing over 600 pounds, they have become a threat to the fishing industry. These jellyfish threaten local fisherman's livelihood by consuming local fish. Known as the "Nomura" or "Echizen" Jelly fish, they are devastating Japanese commercial fishing along the the country's coast and also resulting in increased prices in all species of fish throughout Japan.

Last month, the jellyfish sank a 10 ton fishing trawler when they got snagged in the boat's net... This year there are more than ever and they are extending their drift to around the country. "I had never seen anything this big before," said a local fisherman... The jellyfish are poisoning the fishermen's catch.

"This is definitely an invasion," said Mitsunobu Iida. "Jellyfish are pests that kill our fish, the small delicacy ones... They are so big they crush our fish and that affects our market. We want to get rid of them." For many, eating the massive jellyfish is not an option since larger fish tend to have less flavor.

Some say the jelly fish have drifted in from the waters of China and Korea. Others say over-fishing has wiped out their predators, allowing them to multiply and grow. Global warming has also been blamed. According to scientists, the temperature of the waters surrounding Japan is on the rise.

"The rising sea temperatures could be a factor behind this phenomenon as they foster the growth of these jellyfish," said Kiyoshi Kawasaki, Assistant Director at Japan's Fisheries Research Agency... Actually it has been concluded that the cause is a combination of the three culprits with the main blame going towards human urbanization within the coasts of the Yellow Sea which include both the coasts of Japan Korea and China.

Swarming Jellyfish
In the short term, governments are left with few options other than warning bathers or bailing out cash-strapped fishermen. In Japan, the government is helping finance the purchase of newly designed nets, a layered system that snares jellyfish with one kind of net, but allows fish to go through and be caught in another net.

Some entrepreneurs, meanwhile, are trying to cash in. One Japanese company is selling giant jellyfish ice cream, and another plans a pickled plum dip with chunks of giant jellyfish... Those Jelly Fish are huge indeed! ;) As I'm typing this this story is being televised on The Science Channel...

Here's a story on them from CBS:

(CBS) - Huge swarms of giant jellyfish are seriously threatening Japan's fishing industry as schools of the slimy creatures, some as big as a sumo wrestler, are ruining fishermen's nets and catches... And some scientists believe global warming might be a factor.

Vast numbers of Echizen jellyfish have appeared on Japan's Pacific coast apparently after drifting from Chinese and Korean waters where they reproduce every year.
One Echizen jellyfish can be up to 2.2 metres (7.2ft) in diameter and weigh up to 300 kg (661lbs).

The non-edible creature has the local fishing industry in the grip of its poisonous tentacles as the invertebrates clog fishing nets, poisoning and crushing the catch.
Some experts estimate that the outbreak of jellyfish has brought Japan's fishing industry financial losses amounting to at least 1 billion yen (110 million dollars).

"I had never seen anything like this big before," said one local fisherman in the port of Akiya on Japan's Pacific coast. One Japanese fishing boat in the Pacific capsized by the weight of the heavy jellyfish that got stuck in its fishing net. Still, much about the jellyfish remains a mystery.

"Since 2002, we've seen huge numbers of giant jellyfish around the coast of Japan every year. In recent years, 2005 was the year when they particularly appeared en masse," said Kiyoshi Kawasaki, assistant director of Japan Fisheries Research Agency. "The rising sea temperatures could be a factor behind this phenomenon as they foster the growth of these jellyfish," Kawasaki said. Pollution in the waters off China is also believed to making it easier for jellyfish to breed.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says the waters of the Sea of Japan - an area surrounded by Japan, China and South Korea - are warming at a speed three times faster than that of the global average... Hmmm... These folks still want to blame it on "Global warming" instead of themselves!!! :( :( :( Such DENIAL!!! :) :) ;)

In the latest development in Japan’s war against giant jellyfish invaders, scientists studying the biochemistry of echizen kurage (Nomura’s jellyfish) have discovered a previously unknown type of mucin in the sea creatures.

Mucins, the main structural components of mucus, are complex proteins found in human saliva, gastric juice and the lining of the stomach, all of which play a key role in the digestive process. The recently discovered jellyfish mucin, according to the researchers from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) and science equipment manufacturer Shinwa Chemical Industries, can be put to use in a variety of pharmaceutical, medical, food and cosmetic products.

While the researchers have yet to release the details about the molecular structure of the jellyfish mucin, they claim it has a simple structure similar to a type of glycoprotein (organic molecule composed of protein and sugar chains) found in human digestive fluid, suggesting it could be used as a digestive supplement for elderly people with weak gastric juice. In addition, the researchers see potential uses for jellyfish mucin in products such as eyedrops, artificial saliva and surgical adhesives.

At least 12 types of mucins are known to exist in various locations in the human digestive tract, as well as in saliva and in the mammary glands. While mucins are also known to exist in animals and in some plants such as okra, lotus root and yams, only a few sources of the slimy substance have been tapped for large-scale commercial production.

To harvest the jellyfish, RIKEN says it is investigating the possibility of enlisting the help of Japan’s fisheries to catch the giant echizen kurage, which can grow up to 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb) each. The group is also considering harvesting moon jellyfish, the culprits responsible for disrupting output at nuclear power plants last year after they clogged seawater coolant intake pipes.

Business negotiations are now underway between 20 organizations, including pharmaceutical companies, medical institutions and food and cosmetics manufacturers...

As part of an ongoing battle against invading swarms of giant jellyfish in local waters, some residents of Fukui prefecture have developed a method for converting the sea creatures into a powdered ingredient used in souvenir cookies.

Sold in boxes of 10, the jellyfish treats, called “Ekura-chan saku-saku cookies,” can be purchased at JR Fukui station for 580 yen.

The key ingredient in the Fukui-area cookie maker’s recipe is powder made from dried, ground jellyfish, which is produced using a process developed three years ago by students from Obama Fisheries High School. The bitter, salty flavor of the jellyfish is said to nicely complement the cookie’s sweetness.

In recent years, swarms of Echizen kurage (Nomura�s jellyfish) have been invading the Sea of Japan each autumn, seriously disrupting fishing operations. The giant jellyfish can grow up to 2 meters wide and weigh up to 200 kilograms (450 lbs) each...

Each year, in an annual rite of autumn, giant jellyfish (echizen kurage) invade the seas around Japan, damaging nets, interrupting fishing operations and reducing the overall quality and quantity of catches. This year the residents of Fukui prefecture have a new strategy to combat the giant jellyfish — they plan to eat them.

Giant jellyfish and makeshift menu (On the menu: jellyfish soup, jellyfish yogurt and jellyfish sashimi)

As part of this new strategy, jellyfish cooking classes were held at the Culinary Culture Center in the city of Obama on August 28. The classes attracted about 20 interested people from the local fishing cooperatives and hotel owners association.

Toshiko Komatsu (58), a member of the Oshima fishing cooperative women’s group, presented recipes that call for raw jellyfish. “Jellyfish consist mostly of water,” she says, “so they are not fit to be steamed or grilled.” Her dishes feature bits of last year’s giant jellyfish catch that have been preserved in salt, served Chinese-style with cucumber and vinegar soy sauce or served with plum sauce.

Michiko Kamisako (67), who fishes for a living in Oshima, provided some basic advice on jellyfish preparation. “Big jellyfish can be eaten if you slice them into tiny pieces,” she explains while squeezing strips of finely sliced jellyfish.

Beginning August 19, reports of giant jellyfish trapped in fixed nets began coming in to the Takasu Fishery Harbor in Fukui city. On busy days, up to 100 jellyfish can become trapped in each net. Most encounters with jellyfish ranging from 50 to 100 cm in diameter are occurring along the northern Fukui coast.

Echizen kurage, also known as Nomura’s jellyfish, can grow up to 2 meters wide and weigh up to 200 kilograms (450 lbs) each. That’s a lot of sushi...

Space caramel made from giant jellyfish

In the latest move in Japan’s war on giant jellyfish, high school students in the town of Obama have developed a new type of caramel candy made from the enormous sea creatures — and they are offering it up as a snack for astronauts in space... Nomura’s jellyfish (Echizen kurage) — If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em (in space)

The enterprising Obama Fisheries High School students have requested the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to place their chewy treat on the official menu for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The space agency, which appears to be entertaining the proposal, is reportedly sending a representative to the school tomorrow (September 17, 2009) to evaluate the candy.

Described as having a sweet and salty flavor, the caramel’s ingredients include sugar, starch syrup, and jellyfish powder, which is obtained by boiling the jellyfish down to a thick paste, drying it, and grinding it into fine particles. The most recent batch of caramel uses powder from Nomura’s jellyfish snared last month in fixed fishing nets in nearby Wakasa Bay. The bay is located in Fukui prefecture, which has been among the areas hardest hit by the giant jellyfish swarms in recent years.

Students pose with caramel made from giant jellyfish -- The students began cooking with Nomura’s jellyfish three years ago, after a NASA-designed food safety management system was installed at the school. In 2006, after the school developed a method for processing giant jellyfish into an edible powder, a local company began using it as an ingredient in their jellyfish cookies... Since then, the students have been searching for new ways to use their jellyfish powder. They are hoping to benefit from the recent raw caramel craze sweeping Japan...

Very little is known about why the jellyfish spawn in such large numbers some years but not others, making it difficult to guess at why the invasions have been so frequent in recent decades. Biological oceanographer Shin-ichi Uye of Hiroshima University told National Geographic that while the outbreaks can be predicted, they can’t be controlled. They are like typhoons, he told them. Giant jellyfish typhoons.

What is known is that the jellyfish only devote their full energy to breeding when they are in poor health or injured. When they are in good health, they seem to spend all of their time feeding, and their reproductive organs remain immature. This leaves open the question: Are the massive spawnings an indication that something is wrong rather than well with the population, or with their environment?

Scientists speculate that another factor could be the decline of the jellyfish’s natural predators, like sea turtles and fish species which eat the jellyfish when they’re still young.

Regardless of the cause of the invasion, the biggest casualty of the jellyfish attack will assuredly be the Japanese fishing industry. Their huge jelly bodies damage fishing nets, and they poison the caught fish with their stings, spoiling entire catches.

Though despite the nefarious news, hopefully researchers will take the invasion as an opportunity to learn more about these mysterious, majestic creatures of which so little is known. That, or make another giant monster flick featuring oversized lazer-shooting jellyfish!!! :) :) :)
Hmmm... I wonder where the name "Obama" came from??? ;) ;) ;)  

Respectfully,
Henry

They better save few for Godzilla or he might eat Tokyo again.