** Warning to surfers kayakers etc North coast - the Jelly Returns**

[Michelle]

Taken from the BBC but i seen a few of them lurking about on a walk by the beach the other morning

Northern Ireland's Environment Agency has issued a jellyfish alert after Mauve Stingers were found on a beach on the north coast.

They are same type of jellyfish which led to the deaths of more than 100,000 salmon when a huge shoal was blown onto a fish farm at Glenarm two years ago.

The stingers were found on the beach at White Park Bay and swimmers and surfers have been advised to be cautious.

The jellyfish can deliver a nasty, powerful sting.

Scientists have been searching the beach for washed-up jellyfish, after a large number were brought up onto the sand on Thursday.

Councils along the coast have been contacted, along with the fish farm hit in the swamping two years ago.

Rural affairs correspondent Martin Cassidy said that the fish farm had re-stocked.

"You can imagine that they are particularly concerned when they hear that these jellyfish, which are normally deep ocean creatures, are once again being blown onto our coast," he said.

The company has put nets outside its cages to try and prevent another swamping and has fitted an aeration system in case some jellyfish get into the cages.

Scientist are trying to work out why the jellyfish are hitting Northern Ireland's shores.





http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8261904.stm

[indianian]

keep vinegar handy, if your going to be in the water,  helps with the sting..

[Wolf_Larson]

Has any members ever had a sting of a jelly fish ?

[Mouldsy]

I heard if you Pee on a jelly-fish sting it works better than vinegar.

[Wolf_Larson]

I seen bear gryills pee on his hand, cant remember what happen but.

[Paul]

Here are a few remedys for jely fish stings i found over the net,

For  jellyfish stings, soak or rinse the area in vinegar (acetic acid) for 15-30 minutes to stop the nematocysts from releasing their toxins. If you do not have vinegar available, rinse in sea water,70% isopropyl alcohol, or Safe Sea Jellyfish After Sting® pain relief gel. Do not use fresh water. Fresh water will cause the nematocysts to continue to release their toxin. For the same reason, do not rub the area, apply ice or hot water.

Remove tentacles with a stick or a pair of tweezers. Wear gloves if you have them available.

Apply shaving cream or a paste of baking soda to the area. Shave the area with a razor or credit card to remove any adherent nematocysts. Then reapply vinegar or alcohol. The shaving cream or paste prevents nematocysts that have not been activated from releasing their toxin during removal with the razor.

Eye stings should be rinsed with a commercial saline solution like Artifical Tears; dab the skin around the eyes with a towel that has been soaked in vinegar. Do not place vinegar directly in the eyes.

Mouth stings should be treated with 1/4 strength vinegar. Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ¾ cup of water. Gargle and spit out the solution. Do not drink or swallow the solution.

I have been stung a few times over the years to me the sensation is like when i shave my face with a blunt razor. On me it dosent last long though it will probably vary from person to person.

Hope this helps!

Paul

[Pete]

I was lightl stung when I was younger and it really hurt but my cousin was stug badly on the same day and was in serious pain for about a week. Peeing etc helps in the short term the best solution is a spray called wasp ease...it helps with all stings and is awesome for cooling the area and removing most if not all of the pain!

[Damp Colin]

I was coasteering at Ballintoy sunday week ago saw one or two jellyfish floating about, gave them a wide berth just to be on the safe side