TL:DR – “Invasion of Cannibal Jellyfish in Popular European City: Latest News”
- The invasive warty comb jellyfish, or sea walnut, has recently colonised Venice, impacting local fish populations and fishermen.
- This species, known for cannibalism, thrives due to climate change and was likely transported via ballast water.
- Its presence endangers the lagoon ecosystem by consuming fish eggs, larvae, and plankton.
- Fishermen are adapting by incorporating Atlantic blue crabs—another invasive species—into their cuisine, offering new menu options in restaurants.
Cannibal jellyfish have invaded one of the most visited cities in Europe | News World
The warty comb jellyfish is one of the most harmful invasive species in the world (Picture: Getty Images)
### Venice’s New Invasive Species
It’s a famous Italian city that attracts up to 30 million visitors every year, but now Venice’s world-renowned waterways are welcoming a new type of tourist. Cannibalistic jellyfish have made the Italian city their new home, disrupting native fish populations and wreaking havoc on fishermen’s trade. They are considered one of the 100 most harmful invasive species across the world.
### The Warty Comb Jellyfish
The warty comb jellyfish, nicknamed the sea walnut, is known to gobble up its own offspring and has a transient anus that only shows during defecation.
The world-famous Grand Canal on a sunny day in Venice (Picture: Shutterstock / Adisa)
### Underwater Menace
The squishy creature usually lives in the western Atlantic, which stretches from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America, but has recently been found in the Adriatic Sea. It’s thought that they crossed the globe and invaded Venice’s waters after being accidentally transported there in boats’ ballast water, which is the part of a ship’s tanks that stores seawater to stabilize the vessel.
Scientists have also warned that its recent colonization of the Adriatic is due to warmer seas brought on by the climate crisis. Researchers said in a report that populations of the jellyfish bloomed in late spring and between late summer and early autumn. They said: “These blooms are likely influenced by elevations in temperature and optimal salinity levels.”
The jellyfish are thought to have traveled to Venice in ballast water of tankers (Picture: Getty Images)
### Economic Impact on Fishermen
Their takeover of Venice’s lagoons has caused a headache for fishermen. Venice’s fishing industry is worth billions of euros. The gelatinous fish clog fishing nets and are also a fearsome predator. The warty comb jellyfish also eat fish eggs, larvae, and plankton, which are essential to flourishing life in a lagoon ecosystem.
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Climate change has led to warmer water temperatures, which has caused the jellyfish population to bloom in Italy (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
### Research Insights on Invasive Species
Scientists from the University of Padua and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics published a two-year study on the impact of the invasive species in Venice. In the report, scientists indicated that “ongoing climate change could create increasingly favorable environmental conditions for this ctenophore, potentially boosting its presence in large aggregations and, consequently, increasing the risk of impacts on the entire lagoon ecosystem.”
The warty comb joins another invasive species in the area: Atlantic blue crabs. They prey on seafood like clams and mussels, which are some of the area’s main targets for fishermen.
### Culinary Adaptations
Italians have responded to the challenge by adding blue crabs to their menus. You can buy cheap blue crabs from fish markets in the country. Erica Zelante of the Michelin-starred restaurant Venissa in the Venetian lagoon area stated, “The boom in crab numbers really began about two years ago. We started seeing a lot more of them here in the upper Adriatic.”
“Our chefs decided that it would make sense from an environmental point of view to start using this invasive species.” The fine dining restaurant uses blue crab with saffron, chilies, and spaghetti.