Jellyfish in bloom off FNQ
DANIEL BATEMAN IT’S been a bloomin’ great time of the year for jellyfish on the Great Barrier Reef off the Far Northern coast.
Jellyfish blooms have been reported by divers at at least two locations, including Moore Reef off Cairns and Agincourt Reef off Port Douglas, within the past two weeks.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority acting chief scientist Mark Read said the moon and true jellyfish blooms reported to the authority were not considered a threat to humans.
“Ordinarily with any animals, especially things like jellyfish, there has to be a combination of both water temperature and food availability to allow the jellyfish numbers to build up to the stage that we’re (blooms),” he said.
“We’ve obviously had conditions that are really conducive to that: warmer waters and lots of food.
“The food is mainly zooplankton.” Great Barrier Reef marine park users are encouraged to report any sightings to the authority’s Eye on the Reef website, at www.gbrmpa.gov.au seeing