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Red flag flies to warn of jellyfish swarms.
Beach businesses say jellyfish have disrupted their summer

Beach businesses say jellyfish have disrupted their summer

Tourism organisations are calling for authorities to join forces to examine the situation, which has scared some tourists from the beaches this year

PPLL

Monday, 3 September 2018, 14:45

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The owners of beach-based attractions are counting their losses this summer after plagues of jellyfish have disrupted business.

As well as being an inconvenience for bathers wanting to take a dip, the swarms of jellyfish brought in with the sea currents have been disastrous for businesses such as floating water parks, inflatable rides and paddle surf rentals.

This year has been terrible. The worst we can remember, said Laureano García, the owner of Waterfun, which has inflatable parks in Malaga, Torre del Mar and San Pedro Alcántara.

Studies needed

  • The Aula del Mar marine conservation organisation has called for an in-depth study to find out more about the dynamics of the jellyfish, how they behave in specific areas and the frequency of the peaks in their presence on the Costa del Sol.

  • What is happening this summer could initially be put down to the cyclical patterns with peaks every 10 or 12 years in the Mediterranean, but we must aklso take into account climate change and the fact that human activity is putting more and more pressure on the seas and oceans.

  • "This is altering the ecosystem and one of the consequences could be that the cycles are shortening or that the annual production of jellyfish is increasing. We dont believe these peaks are going to happen every year, but it could be that we have one bad year and only three good ones, said Jesús Bellido, a biologist at the Aula del Mar.

  • He also referred to the lack of natural predators, such as the turtle, and other species that feed on jellyfish larvae boquerones or sardines for example.

Just at the one on La Malagueta [Malaga], so far this summer weve had to close for 15 whole days and shorten the opening hours on ten other days because at times the water has been packed with jellyfish, he added.

The licences for these water attractions only run from 15 June to 15 September and so the losses are significant: from an average of 150 clients in one day to zero.

We contacted the Environment Department at the Junta to study the viability of putting up nest around the park, but they didnt give us the go-ahead, so we just depend on the sea currents, said García.

The situation is similar for popular activities such as kayaking or paddle surf.

A lot of groups who had booked a trip are cancelling. Many other call before they come to ask, and if there are [jellyfish] they dont come, said an employee of Educare Aventuras, an active tourism firm that offers kayak excursions, paddle surf and scuba diving near the Maro cliffs.

Only time will tell whether the jellyfish have come to stay or whether this years visitors are just part of a cycle (the last plague was in 2012), but business owners are concerned that the alteration of the ecosystem is prolonging their stay.

Its a matter well have to take much more seriously than this summer. I dont know whether its caught the authorities unawares, but we have to take measures because its affecting the image of the Costa del Sol, said the president of the Tourism Council at the Andalusian Business Confederation (CEA), Miguel Sánchez. The organisation, whose members are hoteliers, travel agents and tour operators, will be seeking meetings with central, regional and local authorities to tackle the problem in a coordinated manner.

Sánchez, who owns MS Hoteles, added that this year his hotels have received calls from regular clients asking about jellyfish before making their reservation.

There are people who are very apprehensive and wont go on holiday if they think there could be a problem, he added.

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