Jellyfish appear in northern lakes

09/29/2006

Tiny freshwater jellyfish, rarely seen in the area, have been making appearances in northeastern Minnesota lakes, including Little Sturgeon Lake north of Hibbing and Dodo Lake near Duluth.

Associated Press
Last update: September 29, 2006 – 12:13 AM

DULUTH - Tiny freshwater jellyfish, rarely seen in the area, have been making appearances in northeastern Minnesota lakes this year.

In recent weeks, there have been reported jellyfish sightings at a few lakes including Little Sturgeon Lake north of Hibbing and Dodo Lake near Duluth.

The jellyfish spend most of their life as underwater polyps that live on or near lake bottoms.

On rare occasions, they develop into dime- to quarter-size jellyfish that can be seen floating and pulsing near the surface.

The “blooms” last only a few days, with most sightings occurring in August and September.

“It’s an odd little critter that’s in some of our lakes that we don’t know a whole lot about,” said Gary Montz, aquatic biologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

“They sometimes don’t appear for years, then suddenly there’s an explosion of them in a particular lake. It only lasts for a few days, though, so a lot of people have never seen one,” he said.

Freshwater jellyfish are too small to sting people like larger saltwater jellyfish can.