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Man-Made Plague of Jellyfish to Terrorize Beaches for Years to Come

Somebody out there must have offended the gods but good, because it's time for the latest plague upon the earth. This plague comes our way from jellyfish, those squishy, stinging invertebrates whose simple presence can ruin a day at the beach. According to Reuters, U.S. researchers have found that 150 million people are exposed to jellyfish every year, and by exposed, they mean stung. Ouch! Of that number, 200,000 people are stung in Florida alone, by more or less benign species of jellyfish. It's a different story in Australia, however. Long famous for having a huge concentration of animals that can kill you, 10,000 swimmers are stung each year by the Portuguese man-of-war, a scary name for an animal if there ever was one. As if it wasn't enough of a bummer to not be able to go swimming on your vacation, increasing jellyfish "blooms" threaten the global fishing industry as well. The saddest thing of all is that it's our own fault. Apparently, "human activities" are creating an environment where jellyfish proliferate while native fish die out for lack of food. I do human activities every day! Let's all resolve to halt these activities right away, so we might once again be able to swim without fear of jellyfish attack.

Related Stories:
· Report: Jellyfish Gone Wild Ruining Beaches [Reuters via msnbc.com]
· Beach Coverage [Jaunted]