Jellyfish numbers are rising and that’s bad for coal, nuclear plants

Michael Allan McCrae | July 1, 2014 | 10:58 pm Energy Canada Europe Coal Uranium 

Jellyfish population may be on the rise and that is a concern for coastal coal and nuclear power plants that rely on seawater.

Last year the United Nations warned that jellyfish populations were on the rise. A University of British Columbia study cautiously stated that jellyfish populations seem appear to be climbing. Lead author Lucas Brotz found that out of 66 large marine ecosystems studied, 45 showed an increasing trend in jellyfish population.

Large jellyfish blooms have shut down power plants.

Last year the Oskarshamn nuclear plant in southeastern Sweden had to cope with a jellyfish bloom that clogged the intake pipes.

Three years ago a surge in jellyfish shut down the Orot Rabin coal-fired power plant in Hadera, Israel after jellyfish blocked the seawater supply. Coincidentally the Torness nuclear power station in Scotland also closed after jellyfish were also found to be obstructing water filters.

Jellyfish haven’t just caused problems with cooling systems for power plants. In October stinger jellyfish caused $2 million in damage to salmon farms in Ireland.

Reasons for the increase are unclear. Possible causes are a warming climate. As the oceans become more acidic, jellyfish can do better. There is also loss of jellyfish predators due to over-fishing.

However, help may be on the way: a robotic jellyfish terminator has been developed by Korean engineers. The KAIST Civil and Environmental Engineering Department unveiled last year the unmanned aquatic robots capture and grind the jellyfish. A formation of three robots can wipe about about 900kg of jellyfish per hour.

Video of the device in action below.

Jellyfish warning sign by Nelo Hotsuma

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10 Comments

  • Harry Gatley

    It seems cruel to grind them up. Why not issue contraceptives and provide training in their use? How hard can it be to put a condom on a jellyfish after all?
    Surely the UN and Federal Government of the USA will fund this.

    • kriyuk

      YEah… for people who eats octopus alive… cruel means much more than just grind them up…

  • kriyuk

    I thought Korean eat jellyfish… even alive… Maybe growing numbers of McDonalds and KFC have caused this..??

  • Art

    The commercial fisheries have stripped away the predators and global warming has made the oceans a better place for jelly fish to propagate. It’s not going to get better until it gets much worse. Humbolt squid is another species that is propagating from the current state of our oceans. We all need to only eat the seafood we catch ourselves with a rod and reel. Eat what is near to where you live.

  • trumpetman

    Yeah!! why do think about preserving the jellyfish natural predators, decreasing fertilizers that bloom the plancton (jellyfish food), etc..???!!! Thanks Robot!

  • CWK

    @Burlyman: Don’t be concerned about shredding jellyfish. They like it. It’s good for them. Jellyfish are colonies of cells. When shredded each piece will continue living and re-create another jellyfish. It’s kind of sex for jellyfish. The jellyfish world is tweeting “Go to Korea! What a blast!”.

  • VAW

    jolly shocking that, for the sake of human comforts, a ‘slaughter machine’ has been developed to take care of the problem; to top it all, the individuals heading up the organisation developing this slaughter machine will become extremely cash-wealthy. In 10-15 years time, the world will experience yet another ecological problem caused through the severe lack of jellyfish and tax payers will be expected to ‘fix’ the problem!

  • Firdaus

    Could there be a medical use of all these Jelly fish? The rich pageant of life will find uses…. After all we recycle cow dung to human feces and find medicine/ medical use in fungi and stem cells…. The world is always in the process of creative destruction even in climate change. Only humans feel indisposable but then we too were a product of evolutionary change…. only we need ready made answers like the ready made meals we eat. Patience is the lady-luck we have forgotton… POOR HUMANS

  • Ria

    Haha the jelly fish on the rise, if you cut a jelly fish in half it’s now 2 , you cut jelly fish in to a million pieces , haha too smart fer yer pants, jelly fish on the rise . You would think they would of googled that.

  • frankinca

    We need more jellyfish miners to extract them and get them on the commercial market, and out of harms way or harming ways..

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