New Jersey Kayaking

Amanda Oglesby
Asbury Park Press
June 19, 2026

BRICK - A surge of clinging jellyfish are infiltrating the Metedeconk River, where a 6-year old child has already suffered a severe string, said New Jersey's leading expert on jellyfish.

Paul Bologna, the director of Montclair University's Marine Biology and Coastal Sciences Program, said the river's north bank has "a huge number of these clinging jellies." These coin-sized translucent jellyfish cling to sea lettuce and filamentous red algae common in the Jersey Shore's coastal rivers and estuaries, he said.

"Their tentacles have special adhesive pads that ... suction cup themselves onto that stuff," Bologna said.

Despite their small size, the clinging jellyfish pack a dangerously powerful sting, one that can lead to days-long hospitalizations, the biologist said.

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