Çetin Yağcılar, a lecturer and aquaculture engineer in the Department of Hydrobiology at Namık Kemal University, said brown and white jellyfish have found suitable conditions in the Marmara Sea, with their populations increasing rapidly over the past three years.
Populations of brown jellyfish, locally known as “compass jellyfish,” and white jellyfish, commonly called “moon jellyfish,” have increased in the Marmara Sea in recent years. The jellyfish are particularly common along the coasts of Tekirdağ, Istanbul, Çanakkale and Balıkesir, where they have gathered in some areas and caused difficulties for vacationers.
Yağcılar said the jellyfish arrived in the Marmara Sea about 10 to 15 years ago through ballast water taken on by ships to maintain their stability.
He said brown and white jellyfish found favorable conditions in the Marmara Sea and that their populations have increased rapidly over the past three years.
Yağcılar said rising sea temperatures are among the main factors driving the growth in jellyfish populations.
