Ghostly swarms of jellyfish along the coast of Israel have banished summer swimmers from the Mediterranean waters, raising warnings about ecological imbalances caused by climate change.  

By stinging swimmers, the translucent invertebrates have cost the country about $10 million a year ($4.1 million) in lost tourism. 

As their seasonal numbers increase, Israel Nature and Parks Authority said they have also been clogging desalination plants and industrial fishing nets.

"The water gets hotter and hotter and we can see more and more jellyfish," marine manager Guy Lavian said.  

The jellyfish, which flourish at higher temperatures, compete for food and habitats with other sea life.

But according to the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (ISEES), overfishing has helped skew that contest in their favour. 

So has the The Suez Canal — a 150-year-old artificial Egyptian channel that allowed invasive species to travel from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea — which is now home to 17 kinds of mostly non-venomous jellyfish. 

Off-shore agricultural fertiliser leaks have also served as nourishment for the jellyfish, the ISEES said.

Reuters