Gigantic jellyfish have sunk a 10-tonne fishing trawler off Chiba in eastern Japan, reported the Daily Telegraph.

The three-strong crew of the Diasan Shinsho-maru had been trying to haul in a net containing dozens of Nomura's jellyfish - which can tip the scales at a stunning 200kg each - when their vessel capsized.

The numbers of these huge creatures, which can reach 2m in diameter, have risen greatly this year in the seas around Japan, likely because of favourable weather and water conditions in breeding grounds off China.

The crew were rescued by another fishing vessel under calm conditions.

The last time Nomura's jellyfish numbers spiked, in 2005, nets were damaged while their toxic stings injured fishermen and rendered fish inedible.

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