The jellyfishes, which have surrounded the Eastern Mediterranean in recent months, had descended to the beaches in the center of Mersin. Jellyfishes, which first appeared in Silifke and Erdemli districts, began to be seen on the central coasts after a while. The jellyfish, which became the fishermen’s nightmare offshore and hit the beaches as dead, disturbed the citizens who were taking a stroll by the seaside. The jellyfishes, which appeared on the entire coastline 15-20 days ago, now appear in few spots and very few numbers.
“Except for a few spots, jellyfishes are not found in the bay”
Mersin University Faculty of Fisheries Processing Technology Department Lecturer Prof. Dr. Deniz Ayas said that jellyfishes have been present in these regions since last summer. Emphasizing that the number of them has been very intense in the past months, Ayas said, “It was seen especially in January, February, March, and early April. The good news is that we were watching them for their impact on tourism. There is a very serious decline in the intensity of jellyfish right now. Except for a few spots, jellyfish are not found in the bay.”
“We think they came out of the bay with the current”
Emphasizing that jellyfish have covered the entire Mersin Bay in the past months, Ayas said, “This particular Jellyfish species, which we call ‘rhopilema nomadica’, was very dense. Of course, caretta carettas were also effective in the decrease in its population. Currently, caretta carettas come to Mersin Bay to lay eggs. One of the main foods of carettas is these jellyfish. We think that carettas are an important factor in the decline of this population. Apart from that, a very serious amount of dead jellyfish hit the beaches. These also reduced the population. But we think a large population of jellyfish is coming out of the bay with main engine power current systems.”
Emphasizing that there is no problem with swimming, Ayas said, “There is no reason why people should not swim. No risk of jellyfish on any beach. It will take June to be finished, but there is no jellyfish population at the moment, especially in the parts where you can swim.”