Jellyfish Story

One of the policies I have for this page is that I generate my own content; I don’t follow a lot of other science blogs in re-posting whatever is appearing in the news or on other web pages. However, I will make an exception for a story that appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press today, since it is about some of the work we are doing:

“THE proliferation of jellyfish blooms around the world has ocean scientists worried, as mas­sive numbers of very simple creatures are floating around what used to be more complex ecosystems.

But a discovery in northern Manitoba suggests jellyfish blooms may not be just a recent phenomenon. A team of paleontologists has found the fossil remains of large numbers of jellies at a dig site that date back 445 million years, to a time when a shallow sea known as the Williston Basin covered what’s now boreal forest north of Grand Rapids. …

…  As fish and seafood species continue to disappear from the oceans at the hands of overfishing, human beings may be returning the oceans to a state that existed before the evolution of bony fishes: a world where simple creatures like jellyfish dominate the seas.

“We’re getting rid of the top of the food chain,” Young said. “We’re making conditions better for jellyfish.” ”

You can read the entire story here.