Jellyfish. What use are they?

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Since we've been in the Med, we've noticed that at certain times many bays and anchorages are infested with jellyfish of various sizes and types As a father of a 10yr old who likes to spend most of his waking hours on the boat in the water, should I be concerned?
Can you tell which ones are harmless and which ones are dangerous? What's the accepted procedure for treating jellyfish stings? Can you do anything to protect yourself liking wearing a T-shirt when you swim?
On a more general note, what are jellyfish for? Do they serve any purpose in the great scheme of nature or are they one of the Almighty's little pranks

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[mrloudly]

They're the "raggies" of the sea. Drifting around at the whim of the current, p.ssing people off who get too close!!

<hr width=100% size=1>Andy M

 

[wakeup]

One way to treat a jelly fish sting is to pee on it, apparently I think it is the amonia in urine that aleviates/neutralizes the sting..

did you see the episode in Friends when Joey had to pee on Monica's legs after suffering a jelly fish sting , twas one of the better episodes.

<hr width=100% size=1>As independent as resources permit.

 

[tcm]

Re: anti-Jellyfish cream

Hi

No idea what use they are, but they can sting. An extremely nasty sting from a blue bit of gunk of the shore in florida turned out to be a tentacle of a jellyfish and caused small son much screaming in pain.

In med, they also have the jellyfish tho i think they are worst in the early summer. Apparently even the teeny weeny square ones can sting nastily.

Fortunately you have decent pharmacies (or at least, they do in france, probly also in spain) so you should get some cream which numbs the pain - and have this ready on the boat. It is ace stuf - a beach restaurant had some (tube of stuff, like toothpaste) and jellygfish pain evaporated. Summink like "metaderm" was the name - bet there are loads.

Poss find the word for jellyfish, then march in to spanish chemist armed with this word, should get you the right stuff i think.

Good idea to get it in advance. Think we used it all up on sunburtn pain, same sort of thing i think. Or, we probly lost it.

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[jhr]

Re: anti-Jellyfish cream

Florida jellyfish sound nasty, though I believe there is something in Oz (oop North) called the Box Jellyfish whose sting - usually fatal - is so agonising that even morphine won't dull it. Flipping Antipodeans always have to go one better, don't they?

Conversely, this year, and last, the Beaulieu River is full of small and, so far as I can tell, harmless ones that provide the kids with hours of amusing jellyfish watching.

As a species, I've always considered jellyfish to be malign, poisonous creatures, of no discernable use to man or beast. They'd probably make excellent politicians.......

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[jon_bailey]

Re: anti-Jellyfish cream

Kids were just about to go swimming in Beaulieu River last year when they noticed all the Jellyfish and suddenly felt cold. Could someone confirm that they are harmless?



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[jhr]

Re: anti-Jellyfish cream

Can't confirm 100% but I was sitting on the bathing platform, dangling my feet in the water last weekend (we're moored on the River) and looked down after a while to see loads of them around my feet, some of which brushed against me with no discernable ill effects. They're all quite small so perhaps could get worse when they mature. I'm afraid I'm not an expert but, if I remember, I'll ask the Harbourmaster about it next time I see him.

PS: Foot dangling reveals the fact that the water is still B****y cold at the moment, so I'd give swimming a miss f.t.b. if I were you. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[jon_bailey]

Re: anti-Jellyfish cream

The foot dangling test sounds as good as any and clearly you are none the worse for wear.

I agree that water is far too cold for any sane adult, but if you'd have seen my boys at Ryde last weekend then they would appear to be immune from the cold.

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[jhr]

Cold water & kids

Yes - my ten year old daughter went in at Newtown the other day. Absolutely barking...........

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[Neraida]

Don't know what use they have but there are some quite harmful jellyfish in the Med apart from just nasty stinging ones. Locals, especially fishermen/harbour people will probably be able to tell you more about them.

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[Davy_S]

If they are on your anchor warp and you are poor and have no windlass, you haul it in by hand. Try having a pee after! it gives a very itchy pain in a strange place /forums/images/icons/smile.gif But vinager works to stop the pain, hot water and vinager works for weaver fish stings as well.

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[PGD]

Check this link <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yourencyclopedia.net/Jellyfish.html> by clicking here.</A>

Loads of info on types and dangers to humans

Hope it helps

Peter

<hr width=100% size=1>Who gives the best service? tell us <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mssa.org.uk>Marine Service Standards Assistance</A>

 

[Sunnyseeker]

The turtles like them, apparently they taste good? guess you need to watch finding Nemo?

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[Col]

Re: Cold water & kids

Did you happen to have a dog with you? If so, I think I saw you.

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[Lilteenskiperjo]

Re: Cold water & kids

Yes, these jellyfish can be dangerous at times, especially when you are as young as i was, It was humiliating but was soon sorted by a help full friend who pored a whole bottle of vinegar on my foot all i could say is "OUCH"!!!

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[jhr]

Re: Cold water & kids

No, wasn't us I'm afraid - we don't have a dog; it's only my daughter who was barking! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho

 

[Nickel]

Stinkies..what use are they?

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[starboard]

The jellies we have here at Troon and all around the Clyde at the moment are great.....small buggers, about 100mm in dia and just the right size for clogging up your water intake with all the inherant problems this will cause.....glad to say they dont affect the ability of my sail to push me through the water though.....stinkies beware if your coming to the Clyde

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[BrendanS]

Re: anti-Jellyfish cream

Peter Fenner who is medical officer for Australian Surf Life Saving lot reckons the only thing proven to stop pain is cold (iec packs). Also that vinegar can actually make some stings worse (by firing off any remaining venom sacs on tentacles on the skin). Interesting reading:

========================

I was interested in Andy Horton's reports on the incidence of jellyfish in the UK. I would like to see more such reports from worldwide. However, I would like to add additional comments on Andy's suggested treatment of jellyfish stings.
"The most useful preparation for a jellyfish sting is hydrocortisone cream"

Although this may be of benefit in a delayed allergy to jellyfish venom, which occasionally occurs with cubozoans and very rarely in other species, it has not yet been statistically proven to help the toxic venom effect of a cnidarian sting. Delayed allergy to a jellyfish stings usually occurs some 10-16 days after the initial sting and is usually heralded by the re-appearance of the jellyfish tentacle marks which are intensely itchy.
However, cortisone based creams are weak and often ineffective and ultra-potent steroid creams, or preferably oral prednisone is much more effective (Williamson et al 1996). Hydrocortisone cream in the early sting may also suppress the inflammatory response and allow infection, which does not respond to "usual" antibiotics used for skin infections (Williamson et al 1996), it has never been proven to give any benefit in published journals on randomised or double blind treatment trials.

The only published proven effective first aid treatment for the skin pain of jellyfish wounds is the use of cold packs or ice. Cold is applied to the stung area for 5-15 minutes then re-applied, if necessary. It will stop the skin pain in 98% of cases (Exton et al 198 ). Heat makes the envneomation worse (Williamson et al 1996). Other plant extracts and many other chemical
reagents have been suggested to stop the skin pain but there are no double blinded or randomised trials to prove their claims. Vinegar is only useful, but very effective, for preventing further discharge and removing adherent tentacles after cubozoan stings (Williamson et al 1996). It may make other stings worse (Fenner and Fitzpatrick 1986, Fenner et al 1993) and should not be used.

Other symptoms, including systemic symptoms are dealt with in the usual manner by qualified medical practitioners.

I would be happy to answer other questions on the treatment of jellyfish
stings.

Regards

Peter Fenner

Exton DR, Fenner PJ, Williamson JAH. 1989. Ice packs: an effective first aid treatment for Physalia and other painful jellyfish stings. Med J Aust 151: 625-626.

Fenner PJ, Fitzpatrick PF. 1986. Experiments with the nematocysts of Cyanea capillata Med J Aust 145: 174.

Fenner PJ, Williamson JA, Burnett JW, Rifkin J. 1993. First aid treatment of jellyfish stings in Australia: response to a newly differentiated species. Med J Aust 158: 498-501.

Williamson JA, Fenner PJ, Burnett JW, Rifkin J, editors. Venomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook. Surf Life Saving Australia and University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, 1996.

Dr Peter Fenner
National Medical Officer
Surf Life Saving Australia

Williamson JA, Fenner PJ, Burnett JW, Rifkin J, editors. Venomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook.
Surf Life Saving Australia and University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, 1996.

Dr Peter Fenner
National Medical Officer
Surf Life Saving Australia

Vinegar totally inhibits the firing mechanism for the nematocysts of every cubozoan tested to date. Chirodropids usually have adherent tentacles that are torn off and remain on the skin. The longer they remain on the skin, the greater the envneomation as more nematocysts fire. Vinegar prevents this. However, vinegar causes all (most?) of the nematocysts of Cyanea to discharge and in some Physalia species (approx. 30% of the Pacific P. physalis) - I subscribe to two species, P. utriculus, single tentacle and common in Australia, and P. physalis, multi-tentacled, (medium size in the Pacific, smaller than the Atlantic species that has caused 2 deaths). I haven't tested other species but would be interested in the input of others.
>
> Peter Fenner



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[bernard_foster]

They make the table look great at parties

<hr width=100% size=1>Bernie Foster