AN international jellyfish alert ? issued after at least 30,000 people were stung in coastal areas around the world ? has not been extended to Bermuda.

Huge swarms of the creatures have invaded coastal waters this summer, stinging thousands of holidaymakers in the Mediterranean. Some Spanish beaches have been forced closed although others, in Sicily and North Africa, have also been badly affected by the plague.

Unseasonable heat in Ireland's coastal waters also saw an invasion of poisonous jellyfish there, while reports were also filed of increased activity in Japan.

It is believed that two factors, overfishing and warmer sea temperatures, have attracted the creatures to coastal areas in greater numbers.

Their presence is not a problem here, however.

According to James Wood of the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, levels of jellyfish appear no higher than usual for August although he conceded his is not a scientific account as their presence is not regularly monitored.

He added that because jellyfish travel in clusters, it is expected water lovers would notice none or several at once.

"It is normal for them to be around at this time of year," he said. "We do have box jellyfish here, but they're not the same species that are killing people in Australia and Japan. Those are really super toxic."

It was more common for Bermuda's waters to be infested with Cassiopeia and moon jellyfish, Dr. Wood said.

Neither has a particularly painful sting. Their venom is more harmful to young children, older people and those with an allergic reaction to it. Unless a victim falls into one of those categories, he said ammonia would be a more appropriate treatment than a visit to the hospital.

"A sting from a moon jellyfish, while uncomfortable, is not really a big deal unless a person gets stung in the face," he said.

According to the BBC, marine biologists conducting research on conditions in the Mediterranean "blame hot, dry weather for bringing jellyfish closer to the shore and say overfishing may be increasing jellyfish numbers".

A recent survey by an environmental group, Oceana, found concentrations of more than ten per square metre in some areas off the Spanish coast.

According to the World Service, Francesc Peters, of the Institute of Marine Science in Barcelona, said coastal waters were warmer this year because of the unseasonably hot weather and saltier because of low river flows.

As a result, the offshore waters jellyfish usually inhabit were being washed closer to the coast. Global warming, he added, could see the condition more frequently repeated.

"Probably because of overfishing, populations of jellyfish offshore will increase and then these special environmental conditions . . . higher temperatures and higher salinity near the coast, may bring these swarms of jellyfish close to the beach."