PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document stems from the Workshop on Algal and Jellyfish Blooms in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, organized by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) in Istanbul (Turkey) 6-8 October 2010.

The purpose of this document is to provide an updated overview of the jellyfish blooms phenomenon in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and to illustrate how the problem is affecting our societies. It is clear that a new type of human approach to marine ecosystems in general is needed to prevent and face a phenomenon such as the jellyfish blooms. Sources are referenced in the bibliography. Additional insight obtained through author’s own experience, “jelly-news” reported by the mass media and the public opinion has also been used throughout the document.