#Professor Dr. Deniz Ayas

Sea turtles have arrived, jellyfish have left the beaches

The population of Rhopilema nomadica jellyfish, which migrated from the Red Sea and increased along the Mediterranean coast, has started to be seen on the shores of Mersin. Thousands of dead jellyfish, especially seen on the shores in February and March, caused concern before the tourism season. The jellyfish left the beaches as the weather warmed and green sea turtles arrived in large numbers to lay their eggs. Professor Dr. Deniz Ayas from the Department of Seafood Processing Technology at Mersin University stated that there is no cause for alarm on the beaches. Noting that the jellyfish were cleared from the beaches as expected at the beginning of June, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ayas said: "Currently, there are no jellyfish on our beaches. The number of jellyfish in the Mersin Gulf has been increasing over the last 10 years. Especially the 'migratory jellyfish' known as 'Rhopilema nomadica' has increased significantly. There is a population surge in February that remains until the end of April. We observed a similar trend this year. At the end of April, with the warming weather and the arrival of green sea turtles, they left the beaches. Sea turtles, including Caretta carettas, feed on them. They are still present in open waters at depths of 300-400 meters. If there are no currents bringing them to the shore, we do not expect to see jellyfish on the Mersin beaches during the summer. This species, which always has the potential to affect tourism, is not expected to impact tourism this year."