something fishy

Yesterday saw us making our third attempt to bodyboard in Scotland, previous attempts failing because of lack of wind. We drove out to Coldingham Bay in East Lothian. It was a beautiful afternoon and a quick recky on foot to the beach revealed a deep blue sea and appetising waves, even the odd surfer as well as bodyboarders.

When I returned to the van, however, a surfer told me the sea was great - just to be aware of the jellyfish. This was something I hadn't reckoned on and almost destroyed any enthusiasm I'd had. Undaunted, however, after the arduous process of putting on our wetsuits, we padded down to the beach. I suppose I'd hoped the surfer might have been exaggerating about the jellyfish. He wasn't. We might have been protected from the neck down, with gloves and boots as well as full length wet suits but our faces were still exposed and I envisaged blobs of jelly slipping into my mouth.

It was almost high tide, and even I managed to catch most of the waves I went for, being hurled onto the shore. It would have been perfect, were it not for those transparent jelly creatures with their pink or purple pigments. I have never seen so many of them floating in the water or washed up on the shore.


Coldingham Sands won the prestigious Blue Flag award in 2010 and has also received the Seaside Award, given to the more rural beaches i.e. quieter and less developed. There's a cafe, loos and 55 beach huts, some of which are believed to be 100 years old. It really is a lovely place to surf.

Some might think I am being jellyfishist, and I did google jellyfish when I got home to see if I could rethink my revulsion/fear of them. Apparently people have now started eating jellyfish, all over the world and it is viewed as a delicacy in Japan. Rich in high quality protein, they are considered to be healthy because they don't have any cholesterol, saturated fat or carbohydrates. Not only that, but according to the Vietnamese, jellyfish are very good for those with high blood pressure or children who have stomach problems.

I stumbled across various recipes for them. How about: marinated jellyfish with green apple dressing; jellyfisher burgers; jellyfish sushi? Perhaps not.























Jellyfish are one species of animal that are doing very well in these times of climate change. The increased acidity of the oceans, warmer waters, the decrease in predators as fish and other wildlife decline have all supported hugely increased populations of jellyfish globally. Unlike most animals, they seem to thrive on the fertilizers that are washed into the sea.

We'll return to Coldingham Sands to surf, but next time phone ahead to check out the jellyfish situation.

Blobbily yours

Jane


http://www.jellyfishfacts.net/how-to-cook-jellyfish.html
http://universaljellyfish.blogspot.com/2007/07/jellyfish-recipes.html