The premature bloom of mauve stinger jellyfish which carpeted Malta and Gozo’s eastern coast this weekend could mean better swimming conditions over the summer months, with the usual June bloom of jellyfish occurring earlier.  

Speaking to The Malta Independent, marine biologist Alan Deidun explained that there “will not be a bloom of similar proportions of the species again this year,” as the bloom occurs once a year.

Deidun, who coordinates the Spot the Jellyfish citizen science campaign referred to the size and timing of the bloom as ‘strange’.  The bloom of the single species usually occurs in late May or early June, he explained, after the species leave eggs in February and March.

“This year, possibly due to a very warm and dry January, reproduction happened early, in the middle of winter, so everything was anticipated by two or three weeks,” he said.

“People usually do not go to the beach when there are blooms of jellyfish as opposed to individual ones,” he said.

Deidun described the size of the bloom, which covered the coast from Hondoq Ir-Rummien to Marsaskala, as ‘massive’. “There have been large blooms in Malta, but not on this scale,” he said. He warned that the impact “may be felt later on”, potentially affecting fish nurseries since jellyfish prey on fish larvae.

He said that the reason behind the size of the bloom could be difficult to explain. “It could be that environmental conditions were optimal for the species, or because of the exceptionally strong wings for a long sustained wind.” He added that the numbers could have been exceptionally big or concentrated by the wind.

The bloom, reported as part of the Spot the Jellyfish campaign, is expected to last no more than a few weeks.  

The campaign is run by the International Ocean Institute and supported by the Malta Tourism Authority.

The public is encouraged to keep supporting the campaign through the jellyfish sighting reports, which can be submitted on the campaign website, Facebook page and also via email - [email protected].