Numerous dead jellyfishes on Kuakata beach shock tourists

A large number of Jelly Fishes on Kuakata Beaches surprise tourists.

Patuakhali: A large number of dead jellyfish are scattered on Kuakata beach. Dead jellyfish of different sizes started floating in the tide water from last Saturday. Tourism traders fear that Kuakata's environment will be threatened if the dead jellyfish are not removed from the beach quickly. 

Kuakata fisherman Ali Majhi said that 50/60 or more jellyfish are currently being caught in the sea by each fisherman's net. In this, most of the gel nets are getting destroyed due to the adhesive substance of the jellyfish. Many are forced to cut the net. 

Kuakata Bangabandhu Secondary School teacher Nityananda Howladar said that if the jellyfish lying scattered on the seashore are not removed quickly, they will rot and spread bad smell and there is a risk of endangering the environment. 

Didar Uddin Ahmed Masum, President of Mahipur Fisheries Cooperative Association, said that very few fishermen are going to the sea because of jellyfish. 

World Fish Patuakhali district associate researcher Sagarika Smriti said that the main food of turtles in the sea is jellyfish. Decline in turtles is the cause of overabundance of jellyfish. Also, due to temperature and environmental pollution due to various factors, jellyfish have risen to the top. However, she mentioned that this year is much more than the previous years.

Patuakhali District Fisheries Officer Kamrul Islam said, although the invertebrate aquatic animal is known as jellyfish, it is not a fish. However, Cyphozoan species of jellyfish are found in all oceans. Most aquatic animals live only a few weeks. But some survive for a year or more. They also vary in size. However, he thinks that the jellyfish floating in Kuakata are cyphozoan species. For some time now, due to the large amount of jellyfish growing in the Bay of Bengal, there is a hindrance in the fishing of the fishermen in the sea. 

Mayor of Kuakata Municipality Anwar Hossain Howladar said, ‘So that the tourists do not face any inconvenience, measures are being taken quickly.’- Gofran Biswas Palash