'Clinging' Jellyfish With Toxic Sting Return To Jersey Shore

The state is searching for "clinging" jellyfish across the Jersey Shore after about 40 of the toxic-sting-possessing animals were found this past week.

Montclair University researchers reported finding about 40 clinging jellyfish – each between 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter, and some about the size of a dime – in an area off Monmouth Beach known as the Hook.

The small jellyfish may indicate the start of a bloom, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

A sting can produce severe pain and other localized symptoms and, in some cases, result in hospitalization. It is not known how the species found its way into the Shrewsbury River but the polyp phase of its life cycle persists from season to season, according to the DEP.

The DEP and Montclair have teamed up to better understand the distribution of this species. The clinging jellyfish, a native to the Pacific Ocean, is very difficult to spot in the water.

They were first spotted at Jersey Shore in the Point Pleasant area and in the Shrewsbury River in 2016, compelling the DEP to conduct sampling in the river, the Manasquan River and northern sections of Barnegat Bay.

Last year, seven sites within the Shrewsbury River estuary where 17 of the species was found were sampled, as well as other locations in the Manasquan River and Northern Barnegat Bay.

The clinging jellyfish is not known to inhabit ocean beaches or other sandy areas, but it tends to attach itself to submerged aquatic vegetation and algae in back bays and estuaries. These are areas not heavily used for swimming.

The DEP encourages the public to exercise common sense and caution during recreation in areas where the jellyfish have been discovered. Anyone wading through these areas, especially near aquatic vegetation, should take precautions, such as wearing boots or waders to protect themselves. Swimming near lifeguarded beaches is, as always, encouraged.

If stung by a clinging jellyfish:

• Apply white vinegar to the affected area to immobilize any remaining stinging cells.
• Rinse the area with salt water and remove any remaining tentacle materials using gloves or a thick towel.
• A hot compress or cold pack can then be applied to alleviate pain.
• If symptoms persist or pain increases instead of subsiding, seek prompt medical attention.

The clinging jellyfish has a red, orange or violet cross across its middle. Each jellyfish can trail 60 to 90 tentacles that uncoil like sharp threads and emit painful neurotoxins. Clinging jellyfish primarily feed on zooplankton.

The jellyfish can grow to about the size of the quarter but is often around the size of a dime. Both the adult, or medusa, and polyp stages of the clinging jellyfish are capable of stinging, a mechanism they use to stun prey and to defend against predators.

For a fact sheet on clinging jellyfish, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/docs/clinging-j...

For a PowerPoint presentation on DEP clinging jellyfish research, visit: www.nj.gov/dep/docs/clinging-j...

DEP photo