Jellyfish invasion: record numbers appear off British coast

Record numbers of jellyfish have been recorded in the seas and coastlines of Britain, according to the Marine Conservation Society

By Sarah Knapton, Science Editor

12:01AM BST 20 Aug 2015

Swimmers are being warned that record numbers of jellyfish are amassing off the coast of Britain.

Counts of massive barrel jellyfish have rocketed for a second consecutive year and large numbers of mauve stingers were reported off Guernsey in July.

The potentially dangerous Portuguese man of war has also been found washed up on beaches in Devon and Cornwall.

The Marine Conservation Society said this year was set to be another record breaker as by July - before the peak month of August - there were already more than 1,000 reports of sightings of jellyfish across the UK made by members of the public.

moon jellyfish

Experts said it was important that beachgoers and swimmers 'look but don't touch' as some of the jellyfish have painful or toxic stings.

In 2013 there were more than 1,000 sightings; by last year it had risen to over 1,400 and 2015 is set to be even higher.

The marine charity said the continuing rise of jellyfish in UK seas could no longer be ignored and more research and monitoring was needed to try and understand why.

"Our National Jellyfish Survey suggests significant recent rises in the numbers of some jellyfish species in UK seas, most notably the barrel," Dr Peter Richardson, biodiversity and fisheries programme manager, said.

"The million dollar question is why this is happening? At the moment we just don't know."

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Giant conger eel caught by Plymouth fishermen

Six-metre-long fish, which was accidentally snared by trawler off British coast, fetches 70p per kilo at auction

A massive conger eel has been caught off the British coast. The fish was taller than a double-decker bus and weighed a whopping 59kg. Photograph: SWNS.com

Steven Morris

Thursday 14 May 2015 18.37 BSTLast modified on Thursday 14 May 201518.52 BST

It looks like something from a deep sea horror film. But this conger eel was caught by accident six miles off the coast of Devon. Measuring six metres (20ft) and weighing an impressive 59kg (131lb), the fish was snared in the nets of a trawler.

Pete Bromley, manager of Plymouth Fisheries, said: “This conger eel is a very large fish, and an unusual catch for a trawler. Conger move to very deep water and die after spawning, so, like all large congers caught off the south-west approaches, this fish is likely to be an unspawned female.

“These large eels are generally found hiding in the many wrecks around the south-west, or on reefs and rocky ground, but they do venture out to open ground in search of food, usually during neap tides or slack water. Despite their size and power, they are not very strong swimmers.”

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