Why a ‘gobsmacking’ number of jellyfish have inundated Melbourne beaches

Melbourne beaches have been inundated by jellyfish in recent weeks.

Life Saving Victoria says lifeguards have reported treating 40 people for jellyfish stings over the past five weeks, equivalent to the number of people they treated for stings over the previous financial year.

World-leading jellyfish expert, Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin, says it’s not an unprecedented situation, but it is “pretty gobsmacking when you see it”.

“We’re being inundated with jellyfish right across the country right now,” she told Ross and Russel.

While the lion’s mane species is showing up most often at the moment, Dr Gershwin says other species have also experienced a surge in numbers.

She says the jellyfish spike is weather-related.

“It’s the warmer months which is when they bloom, or they kind of multiplying in super abundances,” she said.

“We’re also having an extremely warm spike kind of year, just these real heat spikes, and this tends to sort of amp up their metabolism — they grow faster, the breed more, they live longer.”

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