Our News

Jellyfish bloom-outbreak

This month our coastal survey team was surveying the area north of Marsa Abo Dabbab and came across an amazing phenomena of jellyfish bloom-outbreak: millions of crown jellyfish were recorded floating and swimming in the area of Marsa Shuni and Marsa Morena. The team collected some samples for further investigation to find out the reason for such an outbreak. The numbers of jellyfish might have a negative impact on the corals of the area by blocking the sun light and it already had some negative impacts on the tourism within these few days as some tourists refused to get into the water with these high numbers of jellyfish around. Members of the coastal survey team explained that this species does not sting and it will cause no harm. However some of the visitors still decided to play it safe and not to get into the water. Thousands of jellyfish being pulled together by ocean currents into huge groups are known as "blooms". The formation of blooms differs in each season and it is a complicated process which depends on factors such as the availability of nutrients, sufficient concentrations of oxygen, temperature, sunshine and the presence of prey. Apart from ocean currents congregating the jellyfish together, blooms can also be a result of a particularly high population of jellyfish occurring in the year. Many jellyfish are usually part of large blooms that can have as many as 100,000 jellyfish individuals. Jellyfish blooms have increased tremendously over the years. Data collected on changing jellyfish populations around the world are low in number. Scientists are unable to access quantitative data on present populations as well as on jellyfish populations in previous years. Currently scientists deliberate on the increasing jellyfish numbers without any previous data to base their research on.