大象传媒

Earlier this summer there were news reports of swarms of jellyfish turning the sea pink off the Ceredigion coast. Local fishermen described the 40 metre-wide bloom as looking "like an oil slick".聽Another headline reported: Mystery Surrounds the Swarms of Giant Venomous Jellyfish Invading North Wales. And聽another said: Toxic Giant 5ft Jellyfish Washes Up on Anglesey Beach.

In this week's programme Adam Walton asks聽what鈥檚 going on. Dare we go still go swimming off the beaches of Wales? Or are we about to be overwhelmed by jellyfish?

Adam walks Rhosneigr beach in search of stranded jellyfish. His guide is marine biologist Dr. Stephanie Hunnisett who's run a three year project to assess jellyfish numbers off the Anglesey coast. She introduces Adam to the different species - from Moon and Compass Jellyfish to the larger and more venomous Lion's Mane and considers the factors which might have made this a particularly good summer for jellyfish.

We also hear from Dr. Nick Fleming from Swansea University who's been looking into the place of jellyfish in marine ecosystems. Adam talks to him about reports that jellyfish populations are on the rise in oceans across the world.聽Factors influencing this may include climate change and the building of coastal defences and wind turbines - structures which which can provide聽somewhere for juvenile jellyfish to attach themselves and grow.

And Science Caf茅 producer Jeremy Grange visits Jellagen聽in Cardiff, a company where jellyfish are being used as a source of collagen,聽one of the key components in the structure of all animals.聽Jellagen founder Dr. Andrew Mearns-Spragg explains how jellyfish collagen is being developed to provide a framework for human tissue culture.