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July
10, 2005
Dozens of jellyfish washed up along Burnham-On-Sea
beach
 Dozens
of stranded jellyfish were washed up along Burnham-On-Sea beach
at high tide on Friday and Saturday evenings - leaving paddlers
to tip-toe their way around them.
The
creatures, believed to be harmless Moon Jellyfish, varied in size
from 6 - 20cm in width and were all transparent with umbrella-shaped
bell edges.
Reports
from the Marine Conservation Society suggest that jellyfish are
currently appearing in much the same way as 2004, with millions
of Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) swarming along the west coasts
of England, Wales and Scotland.
Jellyfish
are very vulnerable to changing sea temperatures and water quality,
although it is not clear why the latest stranding has occurred.
Peter
Richardson of the Marine Conservation Society said: "It is
not clear why large numbers of some species suddenly appear in
UK waters, but we expect environmental factors such as weather
patterns and sea temperatures play a role."
"The
Met office has already predicted that this summer’s temperatures
may be above average for south west England and north west Scotland,
so it will be interesting to see how the jellyfish respond."
The
last major stranding of jellyfish in Burnham was in September
2004 when hundreds of small creatures were washed up along
the Bristol Channel.
RELATED
LINKS:
Jellyfish creatures washed up on Burnham
beach in September 2004
Jellyfish
guide [Marine Conservation Society]
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