Jellyfish Sink 10 Ton Boat

Just in case you are boating in the Sea of Japan this winter, beware of the Nomura jellyfish. They can become 7 feet large and weigh up to 450 lbs. (204.5 kgs). Three hapless fishermen found themselves in the soup this year when they tried to bring a net load of them aboard which sank their vessel. Luckily they were rescued by a nearby fishing boat whose skipper was smart enough to stay away from the jellyfish.

A small Japanese fishing trawler was sunk this year when it tried to haul aboard a net full of Nomura jellyfish. Many species of jellyfish can stop up water intakes, so beware!

Centuries ago, sailors feared the Kraken — legendary sea monsters so large, they were capable of bringing down ships. Now, modern Japanese fishermen have a new tale to tell of such gargantuan sea creatures — even if it wasn’t powerful tentacles that caused their ship to capsize.

Scuba divers with Nomura jellyfish.

The 10-ton Diasan Shinsho-maru went down in the waters off Japan while trying to haul a net containing dozens of gigantic gelatinous Nomura’s jellyfish, which can reach up to 6 feet 7 inches in diameter and weigh up to 440 pounds.

The load of jellyfish was so heavy that it caused the fishing trawler to sink, throwing the three-man crew into the sea despite clear skies and calm waters. Another trawler rescued the flailing crew.

Nomura Jellyfish are easy to catch, but what do you do with them? (National Geographic photo.)

The Sea of Japan is packed with these oversized creatures, which clog up and damage fishermen’s nets, rendering the fish caught alongside them inedible with their toxic stings. They even get sucked into pumps at nuclear power plants along the shore along with seawater used to cool the reactors.

Scientists believe that some of the factors contributing to the ballooning Nomura’s jellyfish population may include warming seawaters and overfishing of other species.