"At first, just a few of the floating jellies made their way to the surface in Newport Harbor, catching the eye of passengers on a passing Duffy boat as the translucent sea creatures pulsed with the rhythm of the ocean. More of the moon jellies suddenly made their way to the sea's surface, with hundreds of the gelatinous creatures suddenly blanketing the harbor water's surface in an awe-inspiring sight."
"As plankton, weak-swimming adult moon jellies are easily swept into bays and harbors by tides and currents, she said in an email. Moon jellies also have a less-visible life stage as tiny polyps that attach to rocks, boats and piers beneath the surface. Under the right water conditions, these polyps begin to release juvenile jellies, called ephyrae, which develop into adults."
A dense bloom of moon jellies appeared in a tucked-away area of the Rhine Channel in Newport Harbor on Aug. 20, with hundreds of translucent jellies blanketing the water surface. Adult moon jellies often collect in harbors because weak-swimming, planktonic adults are easily swept into bays by tides and currents. Moon jellies have a less-visible polyp life stage that attaches to submerged surfaces and can release juvenile ephyrae under favorable water conditions, producing large blooms. Moon jellies use nematocysts to capture microscopic plankton, and their stings are typically too weak to penetrate human skin, causing only rare mild irritation.
Read at www.ocregister.com
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