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Giant Jellyfish Are Totally Crashing Sea of Japan's Party

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water ... giant jellyfish! Actually, to be more specific, they're named "Nomura's jellyfish" and this season, ocean currents are pushing them from Chinese waters into the Sea of Japan, where they prove fatal for expensive fishing nets.

Although the creatures can be up to 6' long and weigh up to 450 pounds (of jelly?), they aren't the malicious, stinging sort. No, they're simply the ruining-a-Japanese-town's-livelihood sort, which is what occurs when the beasts rip through pricey nets and ruin major catches, sending villages that rely on the fishing trade into an economical depression.

Past invasions of the Nomura's jellyfish have occurred in 2005 and 2007, so it looks like it's becoming a regular thing, especially since researchers posit that "overfishing, pollution or rising ocean temperatures may have depleted the kinds of fish that prey on Nomura's jellyfish in the polyp stage." So, who wants to do some scuba diving in the Sea of Japan with us?

Related Stories:
· Japanese fishermen brace for giant jellyfish [CNN]
· Killer Beaches: Jellyfish Hung Out To Dry, For Now [Jaunted]
· Killer Beaches Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: AFP/Getty]