THE NETTLEWORK
Sea nettles are a rising concern in the Barnegat Bay.
In order to create a location for all information, data,
and reports relevant to sea nettles in the Barnegat
Bay estuary and its watershed, we have created an information
management website. This website will allow users to
find the information they are looking for regarding
tracking, reporting, and discussing Sea Nettles in the
Barnegat Bay. As of now, there is not enough data readily
available to the public regarding sea nettle where-a-bouts
and how to deal with them once they have found them
found in the bay system. By creating this website, Quickscience
members at The Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental
Science (MATES) hope to help inform and protect the
community from future encounters with Sea Nettles in
the Barnegat Bay.
Identification of a Sea
Nettle
When you believe you have spotted a
sea nettle please look at the following list of characteristics
to be certain that the jelly you have identified is
a Sea Nettle.
It must fit all of these characteristics:
1. Bell-shaped cap (> 10 cm in diameter)
2. Edges of the swimming bell appear scalloped (16 or
more lappets)
3. Array of tentacles extend downward toward the seafloor
4. Tentacles can be >1 m in length
5. Color ranges from milky white to white; radiating
purplish red stripes on bell
When you believe you have spotted a sea nettle please
take a photo and send it to our reporting station. If
this is not possible please describe the sea nettle
with as much detail as you can. We are mainly tracking
in the Barnegat Bay area, but it would be very helpful
if surrounding areas would contribute to this data base
as well. This may tell us what direction the jellyfish
are heading or may show us their migration at different
times of the year. Sea Nettles may take over many more
marine ecosystems along the coasts of the United States
unless more people become informed and aware of their
polluted waterways.
Sea nettle stings and how to
treat
Sea nettle stings are very unpleasant,
but a re-occurring problem facing people living in the
Barnegat Bay and other sea nettle infested areas. Surprising
numbers of people who live in the Barnegat Bay area
of New Jersey have been stung by Sea nettles. However;
if you do happen to get stung by a sea nettle there
are a few ways to treat the wound.
If bits or pieces of tentacles are still on the surface
of the skin, pour alcohol or baby powder on the infected
area. Alcohol will stabilize the nematocyst so that
it will not be triggered. Powders have the same effect
because they dry out the cells. Without this treatment,
tentacles which are disturbed may release additional
nematocysts, causing additional irritation and swelling.
Next, apply diluted ammonia, sodium bicarbonate, vinegar,
or meat tenderizer to the area to relieve pain. Meat
tenderizer is one of the best sources of relief from
stings. Add a small amount of water to the meat tenderizer
to make a paste and smear it on the inflamed area. Meat
tenderizer is an enzyme which breaks down proteins.
Jellyfish venom is made of protein and is consequently
destroyed by the meat tenderizer.
Baking powder solution may be better for flushing a
sea nettle sting, but vinegar is best when you are not
completely sure what animal has stung you.
Human Impact in the Barnegat
Bay
Housing developments have expanded onto
the very borders of the Barnegat Bay. Excess development
and the expansion of paved roadways cause compaction
in soils. Compaction allows runoff to flow directly
into the Barnegat Bay in consequence. Lawns are controlled
and maintained with fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides,
and sprinkler systems. Water is used in excess and has
little area to recharge before it enters the bay. Non-point
source pollution enters the Barnegat Bay from sources
such as fertilizers, pesticides, sewer systems, herbicides,
boat emissions, and runoff from roadways. Runoff causes
eutrophication, an excess of nutrients that causes algal
blooms which reduce water-oxygen levels during the summer.
Sea nettles seem to thrive in areas with excess levels
of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from non-point source pollution,
such as the Barnegat Bay. Although sea nettles don’t
seem to be affected by eutrophication, many other forms
of life are adversely affected by algal blooms and the
food chain in the bay is altered. Macroalgal blooms
have negative impacts on eelgrass (Zostera marina) in
the Barnegat Bay. Eelgrass serves as important food
source and habitat resource for numerous species of
animals in the bay. As eelgrass beds die, shellfish
like: muscles, oysters, and clams begin to lose their
habitat and their populations begin to decline as well.
Fish lose their habitat, food source, and clean water
as their populations begin to decline as well.
Coastline developments alter the contour of the land.
The natural contour of the land is important for the
natural runoff cycle and may prohibit surface water
from entering other bodies of water at a normal pace.
Vegetation near bays may also be used as a buffer to
protect the bay naturally. By changing the vegetation
and contour of the land we create a problem for nature
so that naturally filtration on the shoreline ceases.
We believe that a 300’ Riparian Buffer built around
the entire Barnegat Bay will help filter runoff entering
the bay on a daily basis. Riparian buffers are plants
and shrubs planted along the edge of a body of water.
The plants remove the nutrients from the runoff before
they infiltrate the water. These natural buffers also
protect the shoreline from erosion, natural disasters,
and rising sea level because their strong roots help
hold soil in place and help keep soil aerated and nutrient
rich. Because riparian buffers consist of native plants
from the area, they need less maintenance and will thrive
in their natural environment without the use of any
types of pesticides, herbicides, or sprinkler systems.
Besides the simple notion of protecting the abiotic
and biotic species in the Bay, towns have the legal
right to build any type of protection system that will
offset future impacts from Global Warming such as rising
sea levels.
How to offset Human Impact in
the Barnegat Bay
We as a community must unite and start
to monitor what we are using and control our water usage.
Sea nettle populations are at rise, and eelgrass, fish,
bivalves, and water quality are at a low. If we don’t
act quickly, the Barnegat Bay may no longer be a safe
and fun place to swim and boat with your family and
friends during the summer months of the year. Sea nettles
will strike, and their painful sting will remind you
that time is running out.
The Barnegat Bay Estuary is one of the last remaining
salt marsh environments along the Atlantic coast. Please
Help us Protect and Maintain the Barnegat Bay.You can
help save the bay.
organicconsumers.org
cleanwaternj.org
recycle
earth - google
enviroinfo
The
Nature Center Challenge pdf
Take Action
• Found a Sea Nettle?
• Report It
• Track Sea Nettle Sightings
• Discussion Board for Sea Nettle Sightings
Let us know what you think: e-mail: thenettlework@yahoo.com
Links
EPA
NJ
DEP
|
