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Medical Professionals And Scientists Join Forces To Solve Jellyfish Problem

If you were badly stung by a jellyfish would you pour vinegar over the injury, or do something else? A search on Google suggests the application of: vinegar, baking soda, meat tenderiser, shaving foam, or even your own urine! With so many recommended treatments which one is the most appropriate?

In February this year, at a meeting convened by the EcoJel Team, medical experts, water safety experts and marine biologists from Ireland and Wales met in Dun Laoghaire (Co. Dublin) to develop ‘best practice guidelines for the treatment of jellyfish stings in Irish and UK waters’. The venue was not arbitrarily chosen – the conference room overlooked the famous Forty Foot bathing spot, where in 2005, at least three bathers were hospitalised after being badly stung by a jellyfish. As more and more swimmers were stung that year, county councils were forced to shut the beaches in the Dublin Bay area and as far south as Wexford!

During the meeting there was much discussion on what is the most suitable ointment for immediate application after being stung by a jellyfish. The overriding conclusion was that different jellyfish species require different treatments. It is not simply a case of taking the advice from Australia and applying it to Wales or Ireland. The meeting concluded by agreeing the first ever Irish-Welsh guidelines for First Aid treatment of jellyfish stings. These guidelines take into consideration the jellyfish species present, and are simple and easy to implement. Importantly, the group recommended that vinegar or urine should not be used. See ‘guidelines for First Aid treatment of jellyfish stings’ for more details.

Please note that these guidelines only apply to Irish and Welsh waters. If travelling abroad seek advice for that specific country.

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Lion’s Mane Jellyfish ‘captured’ in Dublin Bay

On June 2nd the EcoJel Team in collaboration with TechWorks Marine Limited filmed a Lion’s Mane Jellyfish in Dublin Bay. Watching the video (above) you can see its tentacles spread out in all directions, some of them up to 5 metres long, as it hunts (fishes) for plankton and other food. This rare footage shows the remarkable hunting techniques of the most venomous animal in Irish and UK waters, you can’t help but be impressed!

We encountered the jellyfish when looking for large aggregations of the Common Jellyfish. We had stopped just east of Howth Head and were lowering Techworks’ ROV (remotely operated vehicle/camera) down to the seabed when we saw this Lion’s Mane Jellyfish spread out like an exploding star. Later that day, with the help of local skipper Chris from Dublin Sea Safari, we encountered a further three Lion’s Mane Jellyfish around Ireland’s Eye.

In the next few weeks we hope to acoustically track some of these Lion’s Mane Jellyfish. We have many years experience working with these dangerous creatures, so don’t try this at home!

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Irish Sea Fish Survey

During May 11-15th two EcoJel members joined forces with the fisheries scientists from Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute’s (AFBI) for their annual juvenile fish survey in the Irish Sea. This research is conducted onboard their Research Vessel ‘Corystes’.

The primary aim of this research cruise is to survey for fish larvae and juveniles (important information for assessing fish stocks), but it is also an excellent opportunity to investigate the distribution and abundance of jellyfish in the Irish Sea. Using their large sampling net we recorded aggregations of the common jellyfish off the coast between Dublin and Dundalk Bay. Some blue jellyfish, lion’s mane jellyfish and many hydromedusae were also caught in the net throughout the survey.

The second part of this survey will take place during 4-12th June allowing our team to assess how much the jellyfish have grown in this short time!
In the meantime, we are very keen to hear from you about your jellyfish sightings. If unsure what information we are looking for, please check out our sightings page or if you are a diver, download our new ‘aid to jellyfish spotting’.

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Ferry Surveys For Jellyfish Commence

Ferry surveys to map jellyfish distribution between Ireland and Wales have resumed! Perfect conditions prevailed for our first crossing between Dublin and Holyhead onboard the Irish Ferries ‘Ulysses’. A few barrel jellyfish were spotted in the middle of the crossing.

This species is the largest jellyfish species in Irish and Welsh waters with individuals measuring up to 80 cm in diameter and weighing up to 35 kg! Unlike other species they are quite robust and solid, making them good candidates for tagging studies. During summer time, barrel jellyfish form very large aggregations in Tremadoc, Carmarthen and Rosslare Bays that can be spotted from the air.

Our sightings of the species so early in the season are consistent with historical records and data from last year and tend to indicate that these jellyfish can survive from one season to another, unlike most other jellyfish.

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Portuguese Man-O-War in the Irish Sea

The last few months have seen unprecedented numbers of the highly venomous Portuguese Man-O-War (a colonial jellyfish) washing up on the Welsh and Irish coasts of the Irish Sea. Normally associated with warmer waters of the Gulf Stream, these jellyfish were probably blown into our coastal waters and shores as a result of the above normal winds experienced during July and August of this year.

However, it is not unusual to see a Portuguese Man-O-War in our coastal seas, as there are many historical records dating back to early 1900s. What is unusual is to see lots of them in the Irish Sea. Most records of the Portuguese Man-O-War are from the west coast of Ireland. If you see a Portuguese Man-O-War don’t touch it! They have a very powerful sting and should be avoided. However, please let us know if you have seen one by using our online jellyfish sighting scheme.

See to the left one of the most recent sighting of a Portuguese Man-O-War. It was found by Richard O’Brien and his family (Laura and Daniel) on a rocky beach at the end of the Rush Peninsula, Dublin, during early November.

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Irish Sea cruises.

During June 10-22nd, several members of the EcoJel team enjoyed some great weather in the Irish Sea onboard the Marine Institute's Research Vessel 'Celtic Voyager'.

One of the major objectives of this Irish Sea cruise was to investigate the abundance and distribution of jellyfish using large 'jellyfish' nets and underwater cameras.

Large aggregations of the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) were found throughout, with >600 jellyfish caught in one 10 minute net tow (equivalent of 70kg) (see image). It appears to be a bumper year for the moon jellyfish while other species such as the compass (Chrysaora hysoscella) were extremely difficult to find. The team is now back on land and investigating the results.

Prior to this cruise another EcoJel team member was investigating abundance of jellyfish onboard Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute’s (AFBI) Research Vessel ‘Corystes’. Importantly, this research was conducted at the same time as the juvenile gadoid survey enabling the EcoJel team to investigate the potential impact (both negative and positive) jellyfish may have on juvenile fish.

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Successful tagging of jellyfish

Following a successful flight at the weekend and armed with the knowledge of the jellyfish locations, the team set out to tag 31 barrel jellyfish in Carmarthen Bay. With the help of Gower Coast Adventures (www.gowercoastadventures.co.uk) all tags were successfully deployed, the biggest jellyfish measured 80cm across the bell!

The tags will provide information about the vertical movements and environment the jellyfish are living in. The tags will improve our understanding of the life history of Rhizostoma octopus species. Please keep your eyes peeled for the tags (see pictures), which might wash up on a beach near you any day!

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Up, up and away...

Three members of the EcoJel team flew over the Welsh coastline and Rosslare Harbour in south east Ireland last Saturday to look for jellyfish.

They team spotted huge blooms of the barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma octopus) near Aberystwyth as well as a basking shark and several porpoises.

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New EcoJel Website

It may be hard to believe, but jellyfish are so important that we have dedicated an entire website to them. So welcome to our jellyfish website!

Over the coming months we will have regular updates about our project and its various objectives. For now, there are plenty of pages to check out but importantly, we will welcome any feedback and suggestions via our 'contact page'. As we move closer to the summer months, we will keep you posted on our activities and how you can help us learn more about jellyfish.

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