THE exceptional storms over Christmas and New Year have seen a rapid increase in jellyfish blooms around our coast and it isn’t just along the British coast. Jellyfish numbers have also reached a worrying high in the Mediterranean.

It seems jellyfish numbers are increasing all over the globe and the scale of the population increase is both impressive and worrying.

One leading Italian marine biologist is urging us to start eating jellyfish both to reduce numbers and to give us a new cheap source of both delicious and nourishing protein.

We don’t really know why numbers are growing so fast. Some scientists say that pollution is driving up the number of algal blooms and depriving the seas of oxygen. That’s bad for shellfish and other fish species but jellyfish do well in these conditions.

Others believe it is a side effect of commercial overfishing. Still others say that it is just a natural cycle and nothing to worry about. I bet they are the ones advising Donald Trump.

Weather and warm summers remain a key factor in the number of jellyfish that invade our summer beaches I am sure.

Offshore wind farms and oil and gas platforms might be to blame, as they inadvertently provide an ideal habitat for the creatures to thrive.

One particularly hazardous breed, the mauve stinger (pictured), is rearing its tentacles more frequently around Britain. Their sting is classified as one of the worst, often causing a burning sensation, intense pain and skin rashes.

Over in Italy Professor Silvio Grecio — one of that countries’ most esteemed marine biologists — has been experimenting with ways to make this harmful sea creature appetising.

The number of jellyfish in the Mediterranean has risen by 400 per cent in the last 13 years due to pollution and climate change.

It’s a big issue for biodiversity, explained Grecio, who insists the jellyfish are a highly opportunistic species that quickly conquer empty spaces in the sea and are consequently inhibiting marine food chains.

“Now man must be the new predator of jellyfish,” he says and in order to encourage people to eat jellyfish Grecio is focusing on highlighting the nutritional benefits of the species.

He suggests recipes which use Asian flavourings like soy and sesame oil. One popular dish deep-fries them in tempura batter rather like the popular calamari dish.

The environmentalist turned chef suggests cooking them in boiling water for a few minutes with lemon juice and vinegar and then plunging them into ice.

The hot water sterilises the meat getting rid of bacteria and also destroys the stinging poison.

“Jellyfish remind me of oysters,” says the Grecio. “When you eat them you experience an explosion of the sea on your tongue — they are, after all, 90 per cent seawater.”

“The sea is full of jellyfish and it’s a big problem for biodiversity,” Greco believes: “They are a rampant, opportunistic species that immediately take over any empty space in the water.”

Illegal overfishing of natural jellyfish predators like tuna and turtles has left the coast clear for them to multiply.

Eating jellyfish is an idea the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation is encouraging too.

For years, fishermen have been finding their nets increasingly burdened with unwanted jellyfish that they simply throw back into the sea.

Greco hopes this will change and says that sustainability aside, jellyfish is actually good for you — rich in protein and collagen, low in calories, and fat-free.

Edible jellyfish is a seafood that is already harvested and consumed in several Asian and south-east Asian countries where it is considered a delicacy.

It is also often processed into a dried product. When reconstituted it is used in salads, sushi and noodle dishes.

In China, some species of jellyfish have been used as a source of food and ingredient for over 1,700 years.

A few Chinese restaurants in Britain offer this rare delicacy.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam all catch, dry and pickle jellyfish. It is considered a special delicacy in Japan.

Jellyfish salad is a popular dish in some areas of Asia. Jellyfish sushi is very popular in Japan and, in Thailand, a crunchy style of noodle is produced using jellyfish.

One Japanese company now produces a vanilla and jellyfish ice cream. It was invented in 2009 to use up large quantities of Nomura’s Jellyfish that were plaguing Japanese beaches.

In 2013 British ice cream wizard Charlie Francis created For Halloween a glow-in-the-dark ice cream using synthesised jellyfish proteins — the same ones that allow these marine animals to produce light — bioluminescence — inside their bodies. The biggest snag was that a glowing cone cost around £150.

I’m sorry but thought of paying that much for a single glowing ice cream just turned me to a quivering jelly.