murakami's jellyfish

"What we see before us is just one tiny part of the world. We get into the habit of thinking, this is the world, but that's not true at all. The real world is a much darker and deeper place than this, and much of it is occupied by jellyfish and things."

- Haruki Murakami

The problem is, we don't see the big picture. We only perceive time and space, as they concern us personally but we don't have a perspective view. Of course, Murakami (who actually had a fear of jellyfish) might have wanted to convey something else with this quote, but after my previous posts like jelly invasion and giant jellies I am able to interpret it in an entirely different way: What we like to perceive is only a part of the whole story. The whole story is much more darker and frightening for us to acknowledge. However, the increasing number of jellyfish and the deterioration of the waters are signs that we ought to broaden our view on "things", until it's too late.

jelly art

"Delicate tendrils of color sway and pulse with the rhythms of the sea in this spectacular collection of captivating jellyfish. Filmed in stunning High Definition and featuring over 2 hours of incredible footage, 'The Art of Nature: Jellies' is a vibrant exploration of the beauty of life and the sea. Choose from three soundtracks – classical, new age or chill out – and transform your television into a living work of art. Distributed by Tubemogul."

giant jellies

A special case of the aforementioned jellyfish invasion are the Nomura's Jellyfish.

picture source

picture source

Nomura's Jellyfish are gigantic creatures (they can grow up to 2 meters in diameter and weigh as much as to 220 kilograms) which have plagued the seas of Japan from 2005 up to present. These giant jellyfish normally reside in the Yellow and East China Seas but warm ocean currents seem to be bringing these monsters to Japan. To make matters worse, this year’s swarms appear to be taking a more direct and southerly route to Japan, unlike in 2007 when the jellyfish appeared to take a more northerly route, approaching the Sea of Japan coast from the direction of Korea. At the peak of the invasion that year, an estimated 300 to 500 million monster jellyfish passed through the Tsushima Strait into the Sea of Japan each day. Watch them here.

The main problem with this invasion is the devastation it wreaks on commercial fishing. They decimate fish populations and it only takes a couple of these sumo wrestler sized animals to destroy a harvest net. The risk of a fishing boat capsizing due to having a number of these creatures caught in its nets is a real and present danger. In addition fishermen suffer by being stung when trying to remove these jellyfish from their nets.

picture source

picture source

Japan has tried to kill the creatures before they reach Japan, however the Nomura’s Jellyfish has an unusual survival mechanism in that when it is attacked or killed it releases millions of sperm and eggs which then attach to rock and coral formations. When they mature they release from the rock, millions at a time, and become jellyfish. Japan has also tried to use the surplus they have of this creature, trying to create a market for in the way of foods, and cosmetic products.

For possible causes (overfishing, pollution and global warming) read the previous post: jelly invasion. In line with the pollution arguments mentioned there, the building of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China, hence releasing excess nitrogen and phosphorus, indeed seem to have created a friendly environment for breeding.

In any event, should the problem these monsters create not be dealt with in an efficient manner, what is sure is that harvests of salmon, anchovies, and tuna will suffer.

source 1, source 2, source 3

jelly invasion

A "monoculture of jellyfish" threatens the oceans as we know them. I believe that this development will make the jellyfish one of the most prominent reminders of the repercussions of human activities.

Dr. Anthony Richardson calls this the "jellyfish joyride" and it is already happening in parts of the ocean: diverse fish populations are being replaced by various jellyfish species. "In recent years, jellyfish blooms have been recorded in the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Black and Caspian Seas, the Northeast US coast, and particularly in Far East coastal waters.”

In a new study in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Richardson and colleagues explore the causes behind the jellyfish infestation and the need for swift, decisive action to stem the jellyfish take-over: Jellyfish explosions are linked directly to human actions, including over-fishing, the input of fertilizer and sewage into the ocean, and climate change.

Overfishing has removed fish from marine ecosystems at astounding rates. According to Richardson this has opened the door for jellyfish to take their place: “this is because small fish (e.g. anchovy, sardine, herring) appear to keep jellyfish in check by predation (on jellyfish when they are very small) and competition (for the same zooplankton food). So, once we remove fish, jellyfish can proliferate.” As an example Richardson points to Namibia where "intense fishing has decimated sardine stocks and jellyfish have replaced them as the dominant species.” Read more on the angers of overfishing here.

Eutrophication is another human-caused change in the ocean that has likely contributed to jellyfish explosions. Eutrophication is an increase of nitrogen and phosphorous in the ocean, largely caused by fertilizer and waste runoff seeping into the oceans (pollution). This leads to algae blooms, which lower oxygen in the marine ecosystem creating so-called ‘dead zones’, which have been increasing dramatically around the world. According to Richardson, these low-oxygen waters give jellyfish the advantage: “fish avoid low oxygen water but jellyfish, having lower oxygen demands, not only survive but can thrive in these conditions as there is less predation and competition from fish.”

Furthermore, Richardson and his colleague speculate that climate change may expand the traditional ranges of jellyfish at the expense of other marine species. “As water warms, tropical species are moving towards the Poles. This has been documented on land and in the sea. Many venomous jellyfish species are tropical (e.g. box jellyfish and irukandji) and…could move south into more densely populated subtropical and temperate regions,” Richardson says. As an example the paper points to box jellyfish and the incredibly small irukandi in Australia. These fatal species often cause beach closures in their native northeast Australia, and there is a concern that as the water warms they will make their way to more populous southern Australia.

CITATION: Anthony J. Richardson, Andrew Bakun, Graeme C. Hays, and Mark J. Gibbons. The jellyfish joyride: causes, consequences and management responses to a more gelatinous future. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. June 2009, Volume 24, Number 6.

Read more: source 1 & picture source

Here is a related previous post concerning the invasion by the immortal jellyfish.

Watch this National Geographic short:

the dark side of tradition

Greenpeace Design Awards

by Marco Eychenne

Some of the most exquisite dishes in Japan involve having fish served as fresh as possible, even if that involves great pain for the poor animals to be cut and served while they are still alive. The most skilled cooks have to master certain techniques in order to satisfy this cultural caprice. That is cruelty. And part of the tradition of some cultures...

But how can anybody change something that is deeply rooted in people's minds as being something natural, established, conventional, ancestral? I believe that these people do not try to hide or disguise their cruelty under the "traditional" tag. I think they do not even perceive it as cruelty. To them, it really IS tradition, something they identify themselves with. Bullfighting (as pointed out by Benjamina and ecila) is just one example of such human cruelty. One way could be to try and change the perspective, as this video tries to: to force the mind to imagine something (in theory) equally possible but just as cruel and absurd.

Some of my other favourite finalists are: Yana Ahmetshina, Talena Jones, Eduardo Tavares

kuroshio sea

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

This video was shot at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. The main tank called the ‘Kuroshio Sea’ holds 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water and features the world’s second largest acrylic glass panel, measuring 8.2 meters by 22.5 meters with a thickness of 60 centimeters. Whale sharks and manta rays are kept amongst many other fish species in the main tank. By John Rawlinson.

eternal jellies

An immortal jellyfish from the waters of the Caribbean is spreading throughout the world's oceans. The Turritopsis Nutricula is a tiny jellyfish which is just 5 mm long. It is technically known as a hydrozoan and it works in a very mysterious way. It is, through its cell development, actually able to reverse the ageing process.

Scientists, geneticists, and marine biologists are working closely to observe cell transdifferentiation, a process in which the Turritopsis Nutricula transforms from one cell type to another through its natural life cycle. Theoretically, this cycle can repeat indefinitely, rendering the animal potentially immortal. While most members of the jellyfish family usually die after propagating, the Turritopsis nutricula has the unique ability to return to a polyp state after reaching sexual maturity. Because these jellyfish do not die naturally of old age, they are spreading through the worlds oceans at a spectacular rate of growth. Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute said: “We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion.”

picture source & source 1, source 2, source 3