Global warming link to jellyfish blooms

KUANTAN: The presence of a large number of jellyfish along the coastal areas here could be an indication of global warming.

Universiti Malaya scientist Dr Mohammed Rizman Idid said environmental changes caused by global warming had compounded the problem and made it more difficult to handle jellyfish blooms.

Many jellyfish species were capable of congregating in huge swarms, which consisted of hundreds or even thousands of individuals, said Rizman.

"It is a complex process and is dependent on various factors, including the concentration of nutrients, water temperature and oxygen content."

In a more serious scenario, he said, jellyfish would mass breed during blooms and could cause serious ecological problems.

It was impossible to determine the exact time when jellyfish outbreaks, or blooms, occurred but they often seemed to occur during the dry season when the sea water was warmer, said Rizman.

Dozens of people have been stung by jellyfish at popular beaches here over the past few days.

A local fisherman Jamaludin Abdul, 38, said he had spotted large swarms of jellyfish in the waters around here over the past two months.

He said some of the jellyfish had moved closer to the beaches.

Rizman said another concern was the possible spread of invasive foreign species which could be more dangerous than local jellyfish species.

"In Europe, they have found many invasive species and similar cases could also happen here."

Globalisation, he said, had made it easier for foreign species to breed in Malaysian waters.

He said ballast water in the hulls of seagoing ships was the best medium for such species to be transported unintentionally to foreign regions.

"Just imagine what will happen if a deadlier jellyfish from Australia invades our waters.

"It will definitely affect our tourism and fishery industries."

Rizman said information on the matter was scarce and he would begin a comprehensive study on jellyfish distribution soon.

"We need to know the number of species that are around and their distribution to enable us to manage the population and anticipate the next round of blooms."

Since many jellyfish species look similar to each other, Rizman said he would be using techniques of molecular genetics to tell them apart.

Despite their venomous reputation, jellyfish are an important source of income for fishermen and the main source of food for turtles.

Every year, 14 per cent of the jellyfish consumed in Japan is exported from Malaysia.

"We need to have a holistic approach to tackle this problem.

"It will take years of research before we can understand the real cause for the jellyfish blooms."

Rizman said the problem of jellyfish blooms would be discussed at the South China Sea International Conference, organised by the Universiti Malaya Institute of Ocean and Earth Science, next month.

"It's a serious problem that affects the whole region. Therefore, we must cooperate to tackle it."

Rizman also shared a simple first-aid technique to deal with jellyfish stings, which was to pour vinegar on the affected area.

However, victims should still seek treatment at the nearest clinic as it was crucial that they were given antivenin injections.

Rizman was awarded a government grant to carry out research on jellyfish.

The two-year project began this year.