Scores of jellyfish carcasses wash ashore on Cox’s Bazar beach

Around fifty jellyfish carcasses washed ashore along different points of Cox’s Bazar beach on Sunday morning, reports UNB.

These dead jellyfish were washed ashore by the tidal water throughout Sunday from Labani point to Sugandha point of the beach.

These small and large jellyfish carcasses were found stuck in the sand at various points of the beach. But no one could tell the reasons behind this huge number of dead jellyfish turning up.

Abdur Sukkur, a fisherman in the Himchari area, said that it's very unusual for so many jellyfish to die at a time.

Deepak Sharma Dipu, president of Cox's Bazar Forest and Environment Conservation Council, said it is important to investigate the reason behind the sudden death of so many jellyfishes.

These jellyfish might have come close to the shore and got caught in the fishermen's nets. Later, the carcasses started washing up on the beach, being thrown away by fishermen, said Abu Syed Muhammad Sharif, head of the Biological Oceanographic Division of the Council.

He said, if people come in contact with dead jellyfish lying on the beach, it can cause various problems, including itching. Jellyfish can still emit toxins when dead or broken apart.

Delwar Hossain, general secretary of Cox's Bazar Fishing Boat Owners Association said that there was no report of jellyfish being caught in any trawler's net.

Although rare, this is the second such occurrence in the space of a month. Earlier on 4 August, it was reported in the media that almost 100 such jellyfish carcasses had washed up on Cox's Bazar beach in one day.