NAHANT — Beachgoers need to be careful the next time they jump into the water in town.
The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has informed the public that they have found lion’s mane jellyfish in the waters of Nahant Beach Reservation. There are currently purple flags posted at the beach to alert residents and visitors.
This isn’t the first time this year that the DCR has warned about the marine animals taking up residence in the town’s waters. Back in June, a similar warning was put out with flags posted at the beach.
Town Administrator Antonio Barletta said that the town has not received any reports of jellyfish on the town’s beaches.
“We have not received any reports or have any confirmed sightings of jellyfish at the town beaches but we’re keeping a close eye on it, obviously, being adjacent to the DCR Nahant Beach Reservation,” said Barletta. “Should that activity make its way towards the town beaches, we would similarly push a warning out to our residents to be aware of that and to be cautious around the jellyfish.”
According to the DCR, the lion’s mane jellyfish isn’t a stranger to Massachusetts waters; the species appears every year on North Shore beaches.
While some might be scared about the possible effects of being stung by a jellyfish, the DCR has said that being stung doesn’t cause a lot of pain to humans.
“Typically, the tentacles of the jellyfish are severed before they reach shore due to wave action, and they are not generally more than a few feet long where swimmers typically venture into the water, close to beaches,” DCR spokesperson Olivia K. Dorrance said.
If you see one, the DCR says that you should move slowly up current and away from the jellyfish to avoid exposure to its tentacles. If you do happen to be stung, Dorrance said you should flush the tentacles away from the affected area with clean seawater thoroughly and not rub the area until the tentacles are gone. Otherwise, the stinging cells will continue to fire.
The lion’s mane jellyfish is known as one of the largest species of jellyfish in the world. Although they are made up of 95 percent water, they can weigh up to 200 pounds. The largest jellyfish ever recorded was found off the coast of the commonwealth in 1865 by Alexander Agassiz.
