Ministry investigate jellyfish presence at North Coast

CAIRO- 28 June2017: A research team was assigned by the Ministry of Environment to investigate the current abundance of jellyfish in the North Coast waters in order to minimize the inconvenience the stinging marine animals are causing to tourists, according to a ministry statement released on Wednesday.

The team coordinated with the ministry’s branch in Alexandria, the Environmental Affairs Agency and local nature reserve authorities to follow up on their findings.

Jellyfish numbers have risen to unprecedented levels this year along the Mediterranean coasts of Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus during the winter months. More recently their presence has expanded south to the Egyptian coasts around Arish, Port Said, and Damietta, and is now spreading across the Northwest Coast also.

The ministry attributed the recent prevalence of jellyfish to several causes. Jellyfish’s main prey are fish eggs and larva which thrive in higher temperatures and their mating season is during spring and summer. As a result of climate change, waters are now warmer creating the ideal habitat for jellyfish to breed as well as greater availability of food supplies.

Additionally, the natural predators of jellyfish are sea turtles. Because of the excess number of plastic bags dumped into the sea, many turtles are eating plastic refuse and dying after mistaking them for a jellyfish-like appearance underwater.

The dominant jellyfish species found on the Mediterranean Coast is known as Rhopilema nomadica. This species is native to the warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It arrived to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal where as a result of climate change, it has found an environment similar to that of its natural home.

As for how to treat a jellyfish sting, vinegar can apparently provide an answer. According to an article in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian last month, scientists have discovered that “applying vinegar is the best solution, and that popular remedies including urine, lemon juice, and shaving foam could make the situation worse.”