Recently, we told you about Japan's ordeal with invasions of giant Echizen jellyfish -- a.k.a., Nomura's jellyfish. "Invasion" is certainly an appropraite word, too, as last summer, hundreds of millions of the creatures flowed into the Sea of Japan each day. Although some Japanese researchers blame the problem on China's nutrient run-off, it's possible there's another (familiar) culprit: overfishing.

Scientists in Scotland have blamed heavy fishing for an "explosion" in jellyfish in the Benguela Current that flows past Namibia in the South Atlantic Ocean. Put simply, Andrew Brierley, head of the pelagic ecology research group at the University of Saint Andrews, has proclaimed, "Because fish and jellyfish essentially compete for similar food resources, a dramatic decline in fish populations could theoretically contribute to a substantial increase in the abundance of jellyfish."

From what I've read, no scientists have posited that Japan's jellyfish problem has been caused by overfishing. I'm not suggesting I'm any sort of a genius; I'm just pointing to potential causal relationship.