JUMBO JELLYFISH SPURS WARNING Four- metre croc evades authorities
A RARE early sighting of a large and deadly jellyfish in Townsville’s Breakwater Marina has led one marine expert to warn of an early start to the stinger season.
Fisherman Russell Carr photographed the large stinger, identified as a deadly box jellyfish, at the marina on Wednesday night.
Mr Carr said the jellyfish, between 1.5m and 2m, was swimming in a figure- eight pattern around a blue light he uses to attract bait fish.
He said as the jellyfish was in the marina, it was likely they were also in waters off The Strand.
“I walk The Strand a lot, I walked it before I saw the jellyfish and there were still people swimming outside A CROCODILE seen swimming close to ships in the Port of Townsville on Tuesday continues to avoid capture.
A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection spokesman said wildlife officers had searched for the 4m croc in waterways around the port, ferry terminal, Ross Creek and Townsville Yacht Club Marina.
“EHP will not make a decision on the stinger nets,” the fisherman said.
Professor of Marine Biology at JCU Mike Kingsford said Mr Carr’s photos indicated it was a box jellyfish due to the configuration of the tentacles.
“It’s hard to tell the scale from the photograph, but from what I can see it looks like a fairly large box jellyfish,” he said.
“It’s quite unusual to find them in Townsville in November.” the most suitable removal method until the animal has been assessed by wildlife officers in the field,” he said.
A crocodile reported at Rollingstone Beach on October 22 is also targeted for removal.
This year there have been 31 sightings reported to EHP in Townsville region waters.
Professor Kingsford said the sighting indicated the stinger season had begun and jellyfish may be prominent in Townsville waters this summer.
“The jellyfish is quite this time of year,” he said.
“The season may be starting earlier than previous years.
“The important thing for swimmers is to listen to surf life savers.”
Surf Life Saving Queensland large for Townsville lifeguard supervisor Russell Blanchard said it was too early to predict a stinger onslaught.
“I wouldn’t consider it a sea creature apocalypse at the moment,” he said.
“It’s not unusual to see big adults ( stingers) cross over from late last season. We’re always aware that there’s the possibility of a big fella that survives through the winter.”
Mr Blanchard said Townsville surf life savers had not yet caught any jellyfish and stinger nets were generally an effective barrier for box jellyfish.
“We just have to wait and see what happens,” he said.
“We can’t say whether it’s going to be a good season or a bad season.”
Mr Blanchard said life savers were aware of dangerous animals like crocodiles and stingers at Townsville beaches and always remained vigilant, with The Strand last closed in August due to a shark sighting.