This weekend, a routine sailing expedition on Lake Huron led the crew of Chippewa to an astonishing discovery, the presence of Craspedacusta sowerbii, also known as the Peach Blossom jellyfish.
Measuring no larger than a quarter, these exotic invertebrates, originating from China, were spotted in the calm waters of the lake. The harmless jellyfish, believed to have entered North America through the aquarium trade a century ago, aren’t deemed invasive to native ecosystems.Despite their jellyfish-like traits, these creatures, resembling marine counterparts, wield stinging tentacles to capture small prey, with stingers too minuscule to affect humans.
Port Huron resident and Owner of The Write Company and Blue Water Woman magazine, Patti Samar, says “There were thousands of them in the water on Saturday, I’ve been sailing Lake Huron for years and had never seen them before, and neither has anyone else at the Yacht Club.”
Reporting for WGRT – Choze Powell
