When the first discussions of holidaymakers about purple began in the summer of 2021 jellyfish and the beaches they “attacked”, no one could imagine that the problem pelagia nocturnal, like their scientific name, we would still be concerned two years later.

“The world must realize that in the era of climate change, there will be jellyfish in our lives from now on, sometimes during periods of outbreaks, and sometimes in a milder form,” notes in an interview with K. Christ Taklismarine biologist and administrator Greek Biodiversity Observatory.

This year, a month before the start of the Greek summer, the Ionian Sea and, in particular, Corfu, have already encountered purple jellyfish, whose bite is painful.

“In Ioniad, the problem persists for the second year. This means that, as everything they have faced in the past year shows, especially Corfu and Paxos, they will face again this year. At the moment, the problem is concentrated in the north and east of Corfu. I remind you that last summer the island was surrounded by purple jellyfish, and the swimmers had a big problem. In fact, purple jellyfish were kept there even in winter,” notes Mr. Taklis.

While the records of citizens on a digital special platform Jellyfish in Greece – iNaturalist there are four of them, but Mr. Taklis notes that the intersection he makes with his colleagues, as well as the reports they follow on social media groups, show that pelagia noctiluca will increase their “appearances” in the Ionian Sea in the next period.

“Indeed, we saw young purple jellyfish in the Anemomylos area on April 19, which means that we will have activity there throughout the summer, as they were spawning,” adds Mr. Taklis.

However, he emphasizes that it is impossible to say exactly in which direction they will move, since this depends on various factors, the most important of which is the direction of the winds. “They can go to Igoumenitsa, they can also go to Zakynthos, they can go even further,” he says characteristically.

Why in Ionian?

As Mr. Taklis explains, the purple jellyfish outbreak can last up to four years, and from the second year the problem persists or gets worse. The Ionian Sea is now in this phase of time.

“Last year we saw a big movement of jellyfish. At the same time, this phenomenon was very active throughout the Mediterranean. That was what happened in the first year and it worried the experts,” says Mr Taclis, explaining that the movement of purple jellyfish was fast, the mass movement started from Spain and spread like dominoes to France, Italy, Malta and Ionian.

The previous boom in this region ended just two years ago. This brief recap, according to Mr. Taklis, is strong evidence that climate change is already leaving its mark on the seas. (See increasingly warmer waters, salinity changes, nitrate pollution, etc.)

As he notes: “Purple jellyfish would start a new cycle every 10 years or so. Now we have four years left, and their presence even persists.”

Another reason, however, that the Ionian Sea is facing a new possible outbreak of purple jellyfish is that the sea in question is adjacent to the Adriatic, where frequent outbreaks of jellyfish have been observed. However, data from the area, according to a marine biologist, is not enough for us to know to what extent it affects the Ionian Sea. But it definitely has an effect.

Also in the Ionian there are local undercurrents, which the world perceives rather as an alternation of warm and colder waters. These sea currents in places partially “trap” the purple jellyfish and prevent them from leaving easily.

What’s going on in the Aegean?

In the Aegean, on the contrary, the intensity of the phenomenon was different and it began in October 2020. At this point we’re coming to the end of presence Pelagia noctiluca and, as everything shows, next summer the Aegean will be completely free of them, until next time, of course.

“2-3 recordings made in January last year in Attica did not particularly worry the experts, as these are old jellyfish that did not give rise to a new colony,” Mr. Taklis notes.

Harmless V uhkurea forscalea in Pagasitikos, but jellyfish “compass” are dangerous

In the same time, aequorera forskalea colonies in the Pagasitikos Gulf have increased significantly. According to Mr. Taklis, these are harmless jellyfish. “After all, Pagasitikos is a special case,” he says, and explains: “Almost every year it goes through an upswing phase due to its shape, as it is a semi-enclosed bay. However, there will be no specific dark colors, from blue to black, in a month.”

However, compass jellyfish are dangerous (Chrysaora hysocella), which are also on the rise and, according to a marine biologist, can be found in many places across Greece, from Evia to Chalkidiki. They sting in the same way as purple jellyfish, but because of their large size, swimmers can easily spot them.

“If someone has been stung by a compass jellyfish, care should be the same as with a purple jellyfish,” says Mr. Taklis, adding: “The good thing is that until the end of May, until the first week of June will disappear.”

In any case, according to Mr. Taklis, there is one rule that applies to all jellyfish, regardless of species. They don’t swim fast, quite the opposite. Their transparent tentacles around the “bell” are something that swimmers do not notice, and rough waters – when “bad weather” – blur the image. These two bring them closer to us as we swim in the sea.

What to do after a bite Pelagia noctiluca V chrysaola forscalea

• We rinse with seawater to remove the remnants of jellyfish tentacles from our skin. If there are any other remnants left from the tentacle, try removing them with tweezers.
• Next, we make a mixture of sea water and baking soda in a ratio of 1 to 1 and apply to the sting. Then we also apply a cortisone cream so that the action of the neurotoxin does not spread. On the same day after the bite, it is better not to go into the sea.
• If we have been severely “stung” by a jellyfish, if we have blisters with pus, or if we have symptoms such as heart palpitations, dizziness, vomiting, pressure and severe burning, then we will definitely go to the doctor.. We also go to the doctor if a jellyfish has stung us in the face and especially near the eyes or genitals.