New Jersey is known for its beautiful sandy beaches and fun boardwalks, but a painful predator is common in this summertime paradise. Stinging jellyfish have made homes of the Jersey Shore, its bays and coastal rivers.
Dr. Paul Bologna, a jellyfish expert and director of the Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Program at Montclair State University, said these gelatinous animals are commonly found across the Jersey Shore during the warmer months.
Jellyfish are about 95% water and are simple creatures, lacking a heart, brain and blood, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Yet these animals are successful predators, feeding on sea creatures like plankton, small crustaceans, fish eggs and larvae, Bologna said. As jellyfish get larger, they will consume common bait fish and full-sized fish, he said.
Jellyfish "could be really devastating to fisheries around the world," said Bologna. "Where you get these big plumes of these guys coming through, they can really knock back fish populations."
Here are the types you are most likely to encounter at the Jersey Shore.
Atlantic bay nettle
The Atlantic bay nettle, or Chrysaora chesapeakei, has become a common inhabitant of the bays and coastal estuaries of coastal New Jersey. These animals are common in brackish water and flourish in water temperatures between 78 and 86 degrees, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Bay nettles can reach up to 8 inches wide at their "bell" and have 24 stinging tentacles that can reach several feet in length, according to the institute. They also have four long "ruffled" arms, according to the agency.
While bay nettles are typically white, they can also be reddish-brown or have purplish stripes or spots, according to the marine institute.
Comfortable in the warm water of New Jersey bays, nettles will linger through October, said Bologna. Though their sting can be "moderately" painful, it is typically not considered to be life-threatening, unless the person stung has an allergic reaction, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Bay nettles are a favorite food of sea turtles, sunfish, larger jellyfish and some shorebirds, according to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Unfortunately, these predators of jellyfish are rare in Barnegat Bay's ecosystem, so bay nettles have become the top predator here, according to Britta Forsberg, executive director of the environmental organization Save Barnegat Bay.
"Typically, when they're dissected, their bellies are filled with larval critters that we want to succeed in the bay, like shrimps, crabs (and) fish," she said.
Bologna and Save Barnegat Bay are studying whether a widespread effort to scrub bay nettle polyps off bulkheads and docks will lower their numbers in the bay. The polyps tend to be tolerant of the warm, low-oxygen conditions in many lagoon communities, which can act like an incubator for the bay jelly population, Forsberg said.
"If this is an effective methodology, which we believe it is, then we would collectively invent a bulkhead scrubbing week, or two weeks, or a month in New Jersey," she said. The event would tell homeowners "that this is the time that they (bay nettles) are reproducing, and it would be the most beneficial time for neighbors and friends -- especially in the lagoon communities -- to get out there and scrub their bulkhead."
Clinging jellyfish
Clinging jellyfish, or Gonionemus vertens, are small -- roughly the diameter of a quarter. Yet, they have one of the most powerful stings of New Jersey's common jellyfish.
The jellyfish have a notable yellow or brown cross across their bells and are common in eelgrass or seaweed beds during the day. They will swim if disturbed or to feed at night, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. They are not usually found along beaches, department officials said.
Their stings are "very potent and produce severe pain," according to the environmental department. The stings may even require emergency medical care in some cases.
A Pacific jellyfish species, clinging jellyfish were first reported in New Jersey in 2016, according to the state department. Now they are found in some coastal rivers and northern Barnegat Bay, Bologna said.
This year, clinging jellyfish were found as far upriver as Windward Beach in Brick, along the Metedeconk River, he said.
"I didn't think that they were that far up the river systems," he said. "But our saving grace is that the super hot weather has heated up the back bays a lot."
That heat is killing off the clinging jellyfish, who die at around 28 degrees Celsius, or 82 degrees Fahrenheit, Bologna said.
While clinging jellyfish are numerous in northern Barnegat Bay and the Metedonk River, they have also been recorded in lower numbers in ponds in North Wildwood, the Shrewsbury River, Forked River and the bayside of Island Beach State Park, according to Department of Environmental Protection data.
Lion's mane
The lion's mane jellyfish, or Cyanea capillata, are common to find along ocean beaches in New Jersey.
These large jellyfish prefer cooler ocean water than warm New Jersey bays, Bologna said.
"The majority of what people are getting stung by now are going to be either nettles or the lion's mane," he said. "Lion's mane have a really good sting. They're really, really nasty. And because the tentacles are long, that's where people can get them wrapped around their legs or their arms."
Lion's mane jellyfish are colorful and carry a "very toxic" sting, but few people have died from encounters, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. These jellyfish giants can have bells that spread over 8 feet wide and have tentacles that trail more than 100 feet, according to the aquarium.
Mushroom cap jellyfish
The mushroom cap jellyfish, or Rhopilema verrilli, lacks long outer tentacles common among lion's mane or nettles. However, the mushroom cap jellyfish has four short stinging "oral arms" that extend below its bell, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Full-grown, the mushroom cap jellyfish can measure 20 inches in diameter, according to the institute.
These jellyfish have a mild sting, according to experts.
"It seems to be a pretty big year for the mushroom cap," said Bologna. "We just get lots and lots of reports. I've seen huge numbers of them down in (the back bays of) Barnegat this year."
Sea lice
Sea lice, or thimble jellyfish, are another common pest along New Jersey beaches. They are small enough to wash into a swimmer's bathing suit and are difficult to see. The result is an extremely itchy rash of welts that resemble pimples or blisters, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
"The larva of them, they get everywhere," Bologna said.
In some people, particularly in children, the stings can lead to abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and fever, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Portuguese man o'war
The Portuguese man o' war, or Physalia physalis, washes ashore on New Jersey beaches in mid-summer. The man o' war is not a true jellyfish; rather, it is a group of animals, called siphonophores, which are closely related to jellies. The group lives and hunts together in a colony, according to the National Ocean Service.
The man o' war has a blue, pink or purple balloon-like float that sits on top of the water and propels the colony across the ocean.
Stinging, barbed tentacles up to 100 feet long trail behind the colony, according to the ocean service.
"In July, we often get the Portuguese man o' war that starts to wash up on the beaches," said Bologna. "Some years, there are huge numbers of them. They come up out of the Caribbean, and they're riding the Gulf Stream… along our coast."
Man o' war stings look whip-like and swollen and cause immediate pain, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. Stings should be rinsed with salt water, but not with traditional sting remedies such as ocean water or vinegar, according to the state department. Then, the area should be rinsed with hot water for 15 to 20 minutes, because cold water can increase the pain, according to the department.
In severe cases, emergency medical attention may be necessary.
Treating jellyfish stings
With so many jellyfish around New Jersey, swimmers should be prepared for the possibility of stings. Bologna advises beachgoers to:
- Pack white vinegar, which can neutralize stings. Even dead jellyfish can still sting, he said.
- Swim near lifeguards who likely have sting treatment within their first aid kits.
- After rinsing with vinegar, rinse off with nearby sea or bay water, depending on where the sting happened.
- Do not rinse with fresh water or bottled water, which can trigger the stinging cells to fire.
- Wipe the area with a clean towel.
- If pain persists, use a hot compress on the sting site. Heat will help to damage or destroy the proteins in jellyfish venom, Bologna said.
The jellyfish expert also recommends a product called
, which is specifically designed to treat jellyfish stings.
"Don't worry too much (about jellyfish), but swim near the lifeguards," he said. "Be at a beach that has… that line of support."
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 15 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
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