Clusters of jelly fish found dead at Budaiya beach

Manama : Hundreds of jellyfish were found dead on the shores of Budaiya beach, worrying environmentalists in the Kingdom. Sources said a cluster of more than 100 jellyfish were found dead at the entire stretch of Budaiya beach.

“I was at the beach spending time with my family when we saw the entire stretch was filled with dead jellyfish. We aren’t sure if they are poisonous, but beaches in Bahrain are already polluted enough with plastic which in turns put the life of marine organisms already in danger.”

When asked, a spokesperson of the Supreme Council For the Environment (SCE) told Tribune, “In the light of the communication received by the Supreme Council for the Environment on the presence of large numbers of jellyfish in the coast of Beady, the area was surveyed this morning.”

“It should be noted that this is a breeding season for jelly fish. Additionally, the jellyfish represent a source of economic livelihood for many fishermen as they are shipped and exported outside Bahrain. So this dead fish can’t cause any negative environmental impact.”

Michael Arora, technical director at Environment Arabia said, “These jellyfishes are called Rhizostoma, and this breed occurs naturally in Bahraini waters. This breed normally occurs in two periods, which is spring and autumn leading up to summer, which is around now. Their timings could change based on temperature, which is pretty normal and times.”