Jellyfish push out incredibly valuable, and diverse, marine ecosystems. Scientists may somehow turn jellyfish into food, tyres or flip-flops, but it is hard to imagine an industry based on a product that is at least 95% water will ever be economically superior to one based on a diverse and healthy marine ecosystem. In 2004, fish caught in the ocean netted $85 billion on first sale. Do we want to grow an industry that has a vested interest in a very different kind of ocean to the one we have today? The world has to decide what kind of ocean it wants: one thriving with diverse marine life, or one swimming with a few hundred species of jellyfish.
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And yet, they can fuel sufficient growth to produce this!
I know! And let's not forget the mola mola, too. Have you seen this excellent TED talk on sunfish?
As heartening as it is to see that some species can flourish on a diet of jellyfish, I really wonder if they'd flourish in an ocean in which we were missing the full compliment of diverse lifeforms which currently flourish as well. Somehow I doubt it, and I'm a little afraid to find out. In the mean time I guess we should "dig in".
Please; they are not a variety of fish. Can't we please call them "sea jellies"? And starfish are not fish either. And Shellfish...
Blind Squirrel,
You nailed Lucas' only complaint about the article. He fully agrees with you that that they should be called 'jellies', which we also support here at SB (note the post's title). This will no doubt have to be settled in the future as they become a more common foodstuff...