Billions of jellyfish wipe out N. Irish salmon farm

[Richard D]

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- The only salmon farm in Northern Ireland has lost its entire population of more than 100,000 fish, worth $2 million, to a spectacular jellyfish attack, its owners said Wednesday.
art.salmon.afp.gi.jpg

The Northern Salmon Co. Ltd. said billions of jellyfish -- in a dense pack of about 10 square miles and 35 feet deep -- overwhelmed the fish last week in two net pens about a mile off the coast of the Glens of Antrim, north of Belfast.

Managing director John Russell said the company's dozen workers tried to rescue the salmon, but their three boats struggled for hours to push their way through the mass of jellyfish. All the fish were dead or dying from stings and stress by the time the boats reached the pens, he said.

Russell, who previously worked at Scottish salmon farms and took the Northern Ireland job just three days before the attack, said he had never seen anything like it in 30 years in the business.

"It was unprecedented, absolutely amazing. The sea was red with these jellyfish and there was nothing we could do about it, absolutely nothing," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/21/salmon.jellyfish.ap/index.html

[DesEtoiles]

1. Cheney and Gordon Smith are behind it!

[msongs]

2. how nice of fish farmers to make their salmon trapped like ... rats so to speak nt

[lostnotforgotten]

3. The Swarm

http://www.amazon.com/Swarm-Novel-Frank-Schatzing/dp/0060813261

[Nihil]

8. Snap!

Same thing occurred to me when I read the OP ... damn good book!
:hi:

[bonito]

4. More info here

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060818-jellyfish-spain.html
check it out.

[vanlassie]

5. Salmon Flavored Jellyfish, Anyone? n/t

[bonito]

6. Hmmm, peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich?

:puke:

[The Doctor.]

7. I thought jellyfish preferred warmer water...

but now that I think of it...

[Richard D]

9. Yup

That's the scary part of this article.