Jelly fish blooms on a few beaches, especially Morjim and the more popular Calangute beach, have come to haunt tourists and local fishermen alike, as their sting leaves the victims in pain for some time, sources said. Several tourists enjoying a swim on both popular beaches complained of being stung by the jellyfish at Morjim. The bigger and smaller varieties of jelly fish are found floating in the water, but most often tourists and swimmers are not aware of their presence until affected by their attack, sources said. “The jellyfish generally appear after monsoon, but may be seen now due to the upwelling of the sea,” a fisheries scientist at National Institute of Oceanography Baban Ingole said. While the accumulation of tar balls on several beaches affected tourists and tourist activities earlier this fortnight, the menace of the oily patches has subsided now. “The affected persons were administered first aid by life guards of Drishti lifeguarding services,” a source said. In worst cases, the victims even need hospitalization for treatment till the pain and irritation subsides. A victim who was attacked by a jellyfish at Nerul beach recently said, “”I felt as if the affected part was on fire. This was followed by a muscle spasm in the lower back region. The welt, reddish-purple in colour, started to fade only 12 days after the incident occurred.” The jellyfish noticed on the beaches are blue bottle or Portuguese man-o-war and the bigger white type. Fisheries scientists say it is not a good sign to see beaches awash with the jellyfish bloom. “It affects not only tourism and tourist activities but also fisheries,” Ingole said. Ingole and another NIO scientist, R A Sreepada had studied the jellyfish bloom in 2008. The fish may find it difficult to tolerate the increasing temperature and pollution levels in coastal waters, but jellyfish can thrive in these conditions. “Their requirement and consumption of food is on a higher scale,” Ingole explained. Invasion of jellyfish on some beach stretches throughout Goa has been reported in the past, but fewer cases had been reported during the last couple of years. The growth of jelly fish is attributed to a few pollutants, ballast water discharge and contrasting temperatures. A Canacona villager said that he had noticed jellyfish floating in the Talpona river. “I had not seen jellyfish in the river earlier,” he said. “A concentration in nutrient levels is one of the factors for their growth,” Sreepada said. Tourists entering the sea are being cautioned about the presence of jellyfish. “But it is difficult to prevent them from the activity, as they are in a holiday mood,” a source said.
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