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The slime has been described as "a plague" by local fishermen. Photo: Roger Larsen/ University in Tromsø.

Mystery purple slime coats Norway fjord

Published: 10 Nov 2015 14:12 GMT+01:00

A mysterious purple slime has emerged off the coast of northern Norway, coating millions of cubic meters of a picturesque fjord with a strange mucoid, margarine-like substance.

“We have not been able to find out what this really is, other than that we are talking about large amounts of jellyfish,” Roger Larsen, associate professor at the University in Tromsø, told state news broadcaster NRK on Sunday.

“The images we are picking up from the echo sounders and other equipment are totally atypical. We have tried to gather information to find the answers, but I am absolutely sure that this is something we’ve never seen before.”

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BBC

Norway: Purple 'jellyfish slime' coats northern fjord

By News from Elsewhere... ...as found by BBC Monitoring

• 12 November 2015

 

Image copyright Roger B. Larsen/UiT

Image caption Fisherman have been hauling in the slime during their trawls 

 

Scientists in Norway say a huge area of reddish-purple slime which has appeared on the country's northern coast could be the result of disintegrated jellyfish.

Fisherman first reported the emergence of the mucus in the Lyngen Fjord in late August, and now describe it as a "plague" which is causing problems for their sonar equipment, and coating their daily catch. The origin of the slime isn't yet certain, but oceanographers at the Institute of Marine Research say cigar comb jellyfish could be to blame, The Local website reports.

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