Poor water quality could be behind increase in jellyfish numbers

Low water quality in the UK could be one of the reasons scientists have noticed an increase in the number of jellyfish around the country's shoreline.

The Marine Conservation Society has already urged people heading to the seaside to take part in a national survey of jellyfish.

Researchers at the MCS believe that poor water quality, warmer seas and overfishing could be responsible for the influx of barrel, moon, compass and lion's mane jellyfish.

MCS Biodiversity programme manager Peter Richardson said that early sightings of jellyfish were uncommon as numbers only usually increase in the summer months.

Mr Richardson noted: "This year, we received our first reports of the huge but harmless barrel jellyfish off North Wales back in early January and this species has occurred in huge numbers in the Irish Sea and beyond ever since."

The MCS water monitoring project could potentially find the cause of the increased numbers of jellyfish making it to Britain.

Recently, the European Environment Agency announced that it has updated its maps covering water quality and wastewater provision on the continent.

Posted by Claire Manning