Lifeguard assistance at Spanish Mediterranean beaches: Jellyfish prevail and proposals for improving risk management

Bordehore, César; Alonso, Cristina Sirvent; Sánchez-Fernández, L.; Canepa, Antonio; Acevedo, Melissa; Nogué, Santiago; Fuentes, Verónica

doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2016.08.008

Cited by 29 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(60 reference statements)

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“…In recent years, many studies have suggested that jellyfish populations are increasing in some areas of the world as a consequence of a combination of several factors, such as overfishing, acidification and global warming (Richardson et al, 2009;Purcell et al, 2007Purcell et al, , 2012, but see Condon et al, 2012), and these booms might cause public health issues. For instance, the number of jellyfish stings along the Mediterranean coast increased by 50% from 2010 to 2012, reaching a total of 118,346 people stung (Bordehore et al, 2016) that far exceeded previous estimations of >14,000 people receiving medical treatment on the south and east Spanish coasts in August 2006 (Pingree and Abend, 2006). This huge number of people affected is an increasing problem with important socioeconomic costs (Mills, 2001;Purcell et al, 2007;Canepa et al, 2014;de Donno et al, 2014;Nunes et al, 2015;Ghermandi et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Environmental drivers of lesser weever stings on the northeast Atlantic coast (A Lanzada beach, Spain)

Pad́ın

Alonso‐Fernández

Lijó³

et al. 2018

Ecological Indicators

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Many marine species, including anemones, snails, jellyfish, coral and fish, are venomous to humans, causing serious injuries or even death. Most of these animals live in warm, shallow waters, which increases the chances of an encounter with them. The majority of these interactions with humans are accidental; however, it is not well known under which circumstances (if any) these encounters are more likely to happen. A smart-city initiative was launched for A Lanzada beach (NW Spain) in the summer of 2014. As part of this initiative, lifeguards collated data on all incidents occurring on the beach, including weever fish stings. Additionally, a number of environmental parameters were monitored. Using this unique information, statistical models were developed to evaluate under which environmental conditions beach users would be more likely to be stung by lesser weevers. The optimal model showed that stings were more likely at the southern end of this 2.7 km long beach, pointing to differences in sediment composition along the beach as a key factor. Moreover, warmer sea water and higher air temperature increased the chances of being stung. Furthermore, stings increased at low tide and decreased under strong meridional wind conditions. Finally, the number of stings increased with beach occupation up to a levelling-off point. All this suggests that a combination of fish behaviour and favourable climate conditions for beachgoers increases the chances of suffering an accidental encounter with lesser weever fish. Our results, based on basic environmental information, constitute a simple tool that could be used to provide precautionary advice to beach users in order to avoid accidental encounters with lesser weever fish.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Environmental drivers of lesser weever stings on the northeast Atlantic coast (A Lanzada beach, Spain)

Pad́ın

Alonso‐Fernández

Lijó³

et al. 2018

Ecological Indicators

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“…In areas around the world dramatic increases in the number and density of scyphozoan species has resulted in fishery collapses and caused significant losses to aquaculture stocks [ 21 , 22 ]. Cubozoans, a family of box shaped cnidarians which often occur in less dense aggregations but are known for their highly venomous sting, have caused millions of dollars in lost tourist revenue in several different geographical locations such as Waikiki beach Hawaii, Queensland Australia and the Mediterranean coast [ 23 – 25 ]. However, despite these implications, there is a lack of data on distribution, density and spatial and temporal patterns for these marine invertebrates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bay watch: Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) to survey the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri

et al. 2020

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Biological investigations on free ranging marine species are regarded as challenging throughout the scientific community. This is particularly true for ‘logistically difficult species’ where their cryptic natures, low abundance, patchy distributions and difficult and/or dangerous sampling environments, make traditional surveys near impossible. What results is a lack of ecological knowledge on such marine species. However, advances in UAV technology holds potential for overcoming these logistical difficulties and filling this knowledge gap. Our research focused on one such logistically difficult species, the Australian box Jellyfish ( Chironex fleckeri ), and we investigated the capacity of consumer grade UAV technology to detect this, highly venomous, target species in the inshore waters of Northern Queensland Australia. At two sites in the Weipa area, we utilized video analysis, visual count comparisons with a netted animal tally, and evaluated the role of associated environmental conditions, such as wind speed, water visibility and cloud cover on jellyfish detection rates. In total fifteen, 70 meter transects were completed between two sites, with 107 individuals captured. Drone success varied between the two sites with a significant difference between field and post-field (laboratory) counts. Animal size and cloud cover also had significant effects on detection rates with an increase in cloud cover and animal size enhancing detection probability. This study provides evidence to suggest drone surveys overcome obstacles that traditional surveys can’t, with respect to species deemed logistically difficult and open scope for further ecological investigations on such species.

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“…The presence of these gelatinous organisms on beaches frequented by people is a significant hazard to regular coastal activities, such as fishing, 1 but also to recreational activities. 2 They may also constitute a significant public health risk. 3,4 They also compete with fish for food.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of the cnidarian Pelagia noctiluca stings on Moroccan Mediterranean beaches

2020

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An epidemiological study on the stings of Pelagia noctiluca was carried out on four Mediterranean beaches in Morocco. Data were retrieved from patients seeking medical treatment after a jellyfish sting. A total of 1321 patients presented with P. noctiluca stings during the summer of 2018. Most of the injuries were observed in persons aged 11–20 years. The stings were located more on the lower (53%) than on the upper limbs (27%). A total of 61% of those seeking treatment were Moroccan tourists, 29% were local residents and 9% were foreign tourists. The main medications provided were antiseptics (54%), non-pharmacological treatments (41%) and antibiotics (4%). The continuing presence of P. noctiluca in the Moroccan Mediterranean makes it necessary to set effective strategies to prevent and minimise their impact.

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Lifeguard assistance at Spanish Mediterranean beaches: Jellyfish prevail and proposals for improving risk management

Cited by 29 publications

References 40 publications

Environmental drivers of lesser weever stings on the northeast Atlantic coast (A Lanzada beach, Spain)

Environmental drivers of lesser weever stings on the northeast Atlantic coast (A Lanzada beach, Spain)

Bay watch: Using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) to survey the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri

Epidemiology of the cnidarian Pelagia noctiluca stings on Moroccan Mediterranean beaches

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