Thousands of pink jellyfish "invade" the coast of Palawan.

The beaches of Palawan, Philippines, once a popular tourist destination, are now emptier than ever since the Covid-19 pandemic. This has led to a flourishing of the area's natural ecosystem, exemplified by the appearance of thousands of extremely rare pink jellyfish.

On April 1st, locals on Corong Corong beach were astonished to see the coastline densely covered with pink jellyfish. Many people shared self-recorded videos to capture this spectacular sight. The footage, recorded at several beaches in the Palawan archipelago, offers viewers impressive glimpses of this rare pink jellyfish species.

Before the pandemic, Corong Corong beach was bustling with numerous boats of all sizes carrying tourists. Visitors often went scuba diving, kayaking, or crowded the sandy beaches. Therefore, Dr. Ryan Baringh, a biologist there, speculated that the pink jellyfish may have once lain deep beneath the sea to "avoid" tourists. "Now that the beach is empty, they no longer feel threatened and can swim freely," Dr. Ryan said.

Experts have hypothesized that jellyfish play a significant role in climate change. They often thrive in areas with low oxygen levels when overfishing reduces the number of animals that compete for food. Climate change may also cause jellyfish populations to surge, creating conditions for jellyfish embryos and larvae to develop more rapidly.

Known as the "sea tomato," the pink jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) is commonly found in warm waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its body is covered in stinging cells that cause pain, but it is not a dangerous species. They feed primarily on mollusks, mollusk larvae, and fish eggs.

Boco, a marine biology PhD student at Griffith University in Australia, emphasized the need for further investigation into this phenomenon. "These jellyfish may arrive in late January or February, but due to wind conditions, currents, and tides, they appear in Palawan only in March. The atmosphere, current speed, and even the geological characteristics of the bay can all influence the existence of jellyfish swarms. Some years there are abundant swarms, but other years there are very few or almost none," Boco shared.

According to Benny Antiporda, an official at the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the tides may also have pushed the jellyfish closer to shore, and the lockdown preventing residents from hunting them allowed them to freely surface without danger.

My Tong