CEBU CITY: The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Central Visayas (Region 7) on Monday advised beachgoers against concentrations of jellyfish spotted in two areas between Panglao and Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
Johann Tejada, spokesperson of BFAR-7, explained that the sighting of swarms of jellyfish in Napaling Point of Barangay Tangnan in Panglao and Mabaw Reef of Barangay Taloto in Tagbilaran City is a natural phenomenon based on the dynamics of the ocean.
‘We could associate the presence of jellyfish in an area where the nutrients are found in the body of water,’ Tejada said in Cebuano.
According to him, the environment is one reason why thousands of jellyfish swarm an area, citing the Philippines as a tropical country where these kinds of sea creatures would appear on the surface.
Tejada’s comment came following videos of the thousands of jellyfish known in the Visayas as ‘bolbog’ swarming off the coast of Panglao Island and Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
The phenomenon in Bohol appeared when
the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration reported a rising temperature despite intermittent weather conditions brought by low-pressure areas
‘In hot weather, phytoplankton perform photosynthesis,’ Tejada said, citing planktons as the most common food for many jellyfish species.
Jellyfish stings could cause allergic reactions which also in turn cause itchiness, swelling, shortness of breath, coughing wheezing, and feeling fullness in mouth, throat, or neck.
Tejada warned beachgoers against dipping into the seawater with the presence of the jellyfish.
Source: Philippines News Agency
