JEDI, Jellyfish and other Procrastinations



One of those two peeps is me. I think the front one.

I have shit to do, but I'm mojo-less in the writing department these days, so, instead, I'm doing busy work and daydreaming about summer.

Summer, generally, and the open water season, specifically, that is.

I've got big open water plans on my agenda this summer which involve a few 5 mile swims. That's 2 miles more than I've ever done.

I'm pretty sure I can do it, so I'm not too worried (though perhaps slightly intimidated) but I am a bit concerned about the jellyfish.

I've got jellyfish on my brain, you could say (yes, yes, and possibly in it...).

You see, there's been talk of the existence of a global jellyfish explosion the past few years and, given the warm winter temps we've had this year, talk of that explosion, well, exploding.

Here's an adorable little Lion's Mane greeting us last July as we waded in... :(

And, um, if you've read some of my prior lamentations you'd know, I don't need any stinkin' jellyfish exploding. 

Indeed, at times over the past two summers, the jellyfish have already been as thick as tapioca pudding. They've stung me and my friends, and slipped down the back of my wetsuit. *shudders*

I've swum through patches of water so thick with jellies, it felt like stroking through a vat of spaghetti.

Unpleasant, you say?

You don't know the half of it.

And, seriously, the novelty of the whole I-can-survive-some-dumb-ol'-jellyfish thing is quickly wearing off.

But, here's the good news.

I've done some procrastinating, er research, today, and I've come up with some pretty hopeful information.

According to the JEDI, there's no proof of a global jellyfish explosion.

Wait. Wrong. Not those kind of Jedi (although, photoshop some jellies in there and you have a pretty entertaining photo).

JEDI (apparently) stands for The Jellyfish Database Initiative.

Don't look at me, I didn't name them. And, I agree, it's a bit of a cheap gimmick, since I don't see any E in that title, either.

At any rate, false advertising  aside, according to the NY Times quoting an article in last week's Bioscience,

"...scientists... argue that  there simply isn't enough long-term data to conclude that global jellyfish numbers are on the rise.

This finding that previous conclusions were premature is the result of an international effort begun in 2010 by the Global Jellyfish Group to compile all of the available data on jellyfish populations. The new and growing database is known as the Jellyfish Database Initiative, or JEDI."


See, right there. JEDI. But I digress.

The point is, previous jellyfish predictions were premature!

Premature, I tell you. Pre-ma-ture!

Which is nice.

Because, I've got some swimming to do.

- gae