Beware of clinging jellyfish, experts warn, after two people visiting Barnegat Bay were likely stung this month.
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Beware of clinging jellyfish, experts warn, after two people visiting Barnegat Bay were likely stung this month.
The individuals who were stung went to the hospital and were on "serious" medicine, including morphine, for their injuries, according to Montclair State University jellyfish researcher Paul Bologna.
The non-native species of jellyfish with a painful sting moved into the Barnegat Bay area last week, triggering advisories and warnings from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
"Clinging jellyfish is very small, about the size of a dime, and it can sting at all stages of its life cycle," said Larry Hajna of the DEP. "In some situations, it can cause hospitalization."
About 40 clinging jellyfish were confirmed in north-central Barnegat Bay on Monday at Jonny Allens Cove on the bay side of Island Beach State Park and on the north side of Tices Shoal.
According to the DEP, clinging jellyfish were first reported in New Jersey waters in 2016, suggesting that their presence may be a recent introduction, or they may have previously gone undocumented.
The clinging jellyfish aren't the only dangerous animals washing ashore on N.J. beaches. Last week, an intact Portuguese man-of-war with the ability to kill a person was spotted up on the shore of a Cape May County beach.
Stinging incidents are sporadic in general, and everyday beachgoers and swimmers shouldn't worry too much about getting stung. The species is usually not found in high-traffic areas like shores with strong ocean waves nearby, but they instead prefer to be in calm, back-bay-like areas where there is a lot of vegetation, according to a DEP press release.
The largely transparent jellyfish, native to the Pacific Ocean, likely moved into the Metedeconk River in Ocean County and the Shrewsbury and Manasquan rivers in Monmouth and on to the bay. The DEP confirmed they were in F Cove and Wardells Neck, both in Brick, around July 4.
The population spreads as clinging jellyfish polyps, or groupings of cells that grow into adult jellyfish, get attached to boats and catch a ride to a new destination, Joesph J. Bilinski told NJ Advance Media.
The DEP updates a map with current information about clinging jellyfish sightings, and Hajna said the Shrewsbury River area currently seems to have the largest population.
Steve Ahrens was standing in three feet of water in Tices Shoal on Island Beach State Park earlier this month when he suddenly felt like he "was being stabbed with a thousand ice picks at once," he told NJ Advance Media. He went to Community Medical Center to get help for the "unbearable" pain and his own doctor later prescribed steroids and naproxin, he said.
Ahren thinks a clinging jellyfish was the culprit, but at the time, experts had not confirmed the species to be in that area.
Steve Ahrens of Lacey Township said he believes this sting he got Sunday at Island Beach State Park was from a clinging jellyfish. Provided.
For protection, people wading into shallow bays and estuarine waters and people gathering shellfish near eelgrass beds should wear waders or boots.
If stung by a clinging jellyfish, which can be recognized by an orange-brown cross on its body, put white vinegar to the affected area to immobilize any remaining stinging cells, rinse the area with salt water, remove remaining tentacle materials, and apply a cold pack to alleviate pain, the DEP recommends.
Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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