Our fishing future--jellyfish?

Is this the best trophy our grandchildren can hope for, a 65 cm long 8 kg jellyfish?

Jellyfish now dominate some African waters and fishermen are finding jellies in the way when they're after their favorite fish. Quite a surprise for the Benguela, an important upwelling zone off Namibia that was once the home of rich fisheries. Opportunistic jellyfish have taken over thanks to decades of heavy overfishing.

With jellyfish recipes now appearing in the media, how long until people forget about the "good old days" of those fish with the nasty bones?

Ridiculous? Check out Shifting Baselines if you think it can't happen. Or the big fish photo gallery to see the forgotten giants of just a few years ago. I'm old enough to remember what seems impossible today, a cooler full of coho salmon and giant rockfish, now both sadly depleted and protected.

Think the rise of jellyfish can't happen here? Check out the bad news from Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, California, and even the Bering Sea and George's Bank.
Yikes!

Now back to the important question--do you prefer chardonnay or pinot grigio with your chili-sesame jellyfish?

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