Djerba, at the heart of an ecological tragedy: when jellyfish invade the sea and turtles die silently

_{Taken By Smartphone}

Hello steemians!

The month of June, generally associated with the first smiles of summer, the promise of escape and the sweetness of Mediterranean swimming, takes on a completely different face on Tunisian beaches this year. While visitors flock to the coast in search of rest, an invisible but profound imbalance is manifesting itself on the surface of the water: a massive and unusual proliferation of jellyfish has been reported on several shores of the country, notably in Djerba, Mahdia, Monastir and Hammamet.

Source

This phenomenon, which might seem trivial to some, is in reality the visible symptom of a worrying ecological disorder, the causes of which are multiple but all converge towards a human origin. It is not only an inconvenience for bathers, but also an alarm signal sent by a suffering Mediterranean Sea.

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A Plastic Sea, a Toxic Sea

Among the most touching and symbolic collateral victims of this environmental decline, sea turtles occupy a central place. This week, during a simple morning walk on a peaceful beach in Djerba, I was confronted with a scene both moving and revealing: the lifeless body of a large sea turtle, stranded on the sand, covered in algae and encrusted shells, frozen forever in a tragic pose, as if silently imploring the world to pay attention to its unjust end.

It was not a natural accident, everything in his condition suggests a slow, painful and avoidable death, most likely caused by the ingestion of plastic, this invisible scourge that floats in the sea, merging with the usual prey of turtles, notably jellyfish, a simple plastic bag, abandoned on a beach or thrown from a boat, can turn into a death trap and, if swallowed, it obstructs the animal's digestive system, causing unbearable suffering, starvation, then death, this drama is repeated every day in Tunisian waters, out of sight, in general indifference.

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When turtles disappear, jellyfish proliferate

This link between plastic pollution and jellyfish overpopulation is well established by the scientific community. By reducing the populations of jellyfish's natural predators, particularly sea turtles and certain carnivorous fish, the marine ecosystem loses its balance, thus favoring the proliferation of these gelatinous organisms. Added to this is global warming, which increases water temperature, creating ideal conditions for their reproduction, as well as the eutrophication of coastal waters due to the discharge of untreated wastewater, which enriches the water with nutrients and stimulates their growth.

So what we are seeing today is not just a natural cycle, but the cumulative result of decades of environmental neglect, reckless exploitation of marine resources, and the lack of a rigorous waste management policy.

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The beach, a mirror of our inconsistency

The contrast is striking, on one side, tourists enjoying the warm sand, umbrellas planted in tight rows, horses treading the dunes at a leisurely pace, and on the other, a dead turtle, a silent witness to a collapsing marine world and the photos I took, as well as the video, are not images to be viewed lightly but indeed, they call for immediate awareness.