By Katrina Gracia Consebido
A jellyfish bloom was reported in the coastal areas of Boracay on Saturday, May 14, due to “habagat,” according to the Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation and Management Group (BIARMG).
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the occurrence of jellyfish presence in the shores is dependent on the direction of the wind within the months of May until September.
“Yesterday, the wind direction was southwest or habagat which was towards the White Beach. This caused the jelly fish to accumulate in the beach area,” BIARMG General Manager Martin Despi said.
Director Evelyn Abad, BFAR Aklan Provincial Fisheries Office officer-in-charge, said that they are determining the species of the thumb-sized jellyfish that accumulated in the shores.
“We were able to get samples of the jellyfish to determine its species. They were very small and appear to be newborn jellyfish. These will be brought to our laboratory for testing on Monday,” Abad said.
Meanwhile, BFAR advised the locals and tourists to avoid swimming in the affected areas. – ag
