Maharashtra : Number of jellyfish increased in the seas causing huge losses to fishing business

On Nov 19, 2020

Mumbai : The growing number of jellyfish near the coast of Maharashtra has become a headache for fishermen. The increasing encroachment of jellyfish is having a direct impact on fishing.

Fishermen have been receiving large numbers of jellyfish in the coastal areas of Maharashtra for the past few days. Fishermen are complaining that the growing number of jellyfish is hitting fishing. Fisherman Akshay Haram informed that it has become difficult to do fishing due to the increase in the number of jellyfish near the coast in the sea area of Sindhudurg-Ratnagiri. Near the coast, orange and purple jellyfish can be seen at a distance of 8 to 9 miles. Haram said fishing business has been suffering for the past few days as there are no big fish around these jellyfish. The impact has been felt mainly by fishermen fishing with trawlers, gill nets and perch nets.

nowadays rising number of crowned #jellyfish in #Maharashtra #marine waters is a biggest concern for #fisheries. These #jellyfish are found in large numbers in the fishermen's nets from #Palghar to #Sindhudurg.
vc- #fisherman akshay haram @MangroveForest @AUThackeray @atulpatne pic.twitter.com/HitxBsYo9Q
— Akshay Mandavkar🌿 (@akshay_journo) November 18, 2020

Fishermen in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar are also suffering due to the increasing number of jellyfish in the sea, said Ganesh Nakhawa, President, All India Persians Welfare Association. The lockdown was expected to have a positive effect on the marine ecosystem. However, due to the large number of jellyfish in the sea water over the last few days, jellyfish instead of fish are getting stuck in fishermen’s nets, Nakhwa said. Marine biologist Swapnil Tandel said, “Jellyfish eat small fish eggs and fish babies. Which affects the fish stocks and their growth in those marine areas. In the same way, large fish, which eat small fish and are commercially important, also migrate from that area due to lack of food.’ The purple jellyfish currently found in the deep sea are ‘Crown’ jellyfish and the orange jellyfish found near the coast are of the ‘Cephe’ or ‘Creosora’ species.