Isles’ shores under jellyfish threat

The Western Isles could soon be invaded by a wave of stinger jellyfish.

The mauve stinger jellyfish (pelagia noctiluca) are usually found in the Mediterranean or Red sea but recently a number of sightings of the species have been found in the waters of the west and north.

A bloom was identified off Orkney last week, as well as off Ardmore Point in Mull, when a local fisherman spotted a bloom while out in his boat, describing the scene as looking like a ‘river of blood cutting through the sea’.

As reported in Hebrides Today earlier this year clusters of the mauve stinger have also been spotted off Lewis and the Fair Isles.

Each jellyfish is only around four inches across, but together they wreak havoc on fish farms and takeover beaches. It has a powerful sting that can cause a severe reaction.

Experts aren’t clear on why jellyfish numbers are booming, however it has been speculated that recent stormy weather throughout the region may be to blame for this oceanic species making an appearance in Hebridean coastal waters.

Warmer seas around Scotland could also be the cause of this species migrating into northern waters.

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