Eggs and the city: loved-up slug baths open for humans again as sea hares hop back in big pool
Hundreds of sea hares were removed, or made their own way out of Merewether Ocean Baths in the past week after a significant spawning event filled the popular swimming spot with adult slugs and their eggs.
City of Newcastle, which manages the ocean baths, said that, on advice from marine and environmental experts, the slugs were "given space" to see out that part of their life cycle. But, as the adults departed on the high tides, teams had moved in to help along the remaining stragglers.
The baths were scheduled to be closed for draining and cleaning on Tuesday, but it was expected that they would reopen by Tuesday afternoon.
The baths were closed on May 7 when the slugs were discovered. Since then, the council has kept a close eye on the spawning cycle, which has captured the city's attention.
Merewether Mackerels Winter Swimming Club kicked off its season on Sunday, but the bizarre creatures' takeover of the pool surprised club president Steve Weller.
"The baths were cleaned on Thursday, May 1, and the sea hares appeared in numbers within a day or two. My guess is they arrived as the fresh water was pumped into the baths," he said.
Sea slugs are mostly harmless to humans, but researchers linked their semi-toxic outer slime coating, used as a natural defence, to the deaths of three dogs in WA in 2018.
Sea hares inhabit most of the Australian coastline, and Nelson Bay reportedly houses 250 species in various vibrant colours and patterns.
The Australian Museum's listing for the species notes that they are regularly found in pools and can swim, but prefer gliding over the rocks and feeding on algae.
"In the natural environment, sea hares would have been taken off the rock platform by now, but in the baths, a little human help is needed," the council said via its social media on Monday afternoon. "Our team gently collected the remaining eggs and adults and returned them to the ocean at the right tide. The eggs will continue to develop as part of the natural life cycle."
Hundreds of sea hares were removed, or made their own way out of Merewether Ocean Baths in the past week after a significant spawning event filled the popular swimming spot with adult slugs and their eggs.
City of Newcastle, which manages the ocean baths, said that, on advice from marine and environmental experts, the slugs were "given space" to see out that part of their life cycle. But, as the adults departed on the high tides, teams had moved in to help along the remaining stragglers.
The baths were scheduled to be closed for draining and cleaning on Tuesday, but it was expected that they would reopen by Tuesday afternoon.
The baths were closed on May 7 when the slugs were discovered. Since then, the council has kept a close eye on the spawning cycle, which has captured the city's attention.
Merewether Mackerels Winter Swimming Club kicked off its season on Sunday, but the bizarre creatures' takeover of the pool surprised club president Steve Weller.
"The baths were cleaned on Thursday, May 1, and the sea hares appeared in numbers within a day or two. My guess is they arrived as the fresh water was pumped into the baths," he said.
Sea slugs are mostly harmless to humans, but researchers linked their semi-toxic outer slime coating, used as a natural defence, to the deaths of three dogs in WA in 2018.
Sea hares inhabit most of the Australian coastline, and Nelson Bay reportedly houses 250 species in various vibrant colours and patterns.
The Australian Museum's listing for the species notes that they are regularly found in pools and can swim, but prefer gliding over the rocks and feeding on algae.
"In the natural environment, sea hares would have been taken off the rock platform by now, but in the baths, a little human help is needed," the council said via its social media on Monday afternoon. "Our team gently collected the remaining eggs and adults and returned them to the ocean at the right tide. The eggs will continue to develop as part of the natural life cycle."
Hundreds of sea hares were removed, or made their own way out of Merewether Ocean Baths in the past week after a significant spawning event filled the popular swimming spot with adult slugs and their eggs.
City of Newcastle, which manages the ocean baths, said that, on advice from marine and environmental experts, the slugs were "given space" to see out that part of their life cycle. But, as the adults departed on the high tides, teams had moved in to help along the remaining stragglers.
The baths were scheduled to be closed for draining and cleaning on Tuesday, but it was expected that they would reopen by Tuesday afternoon.
The baths were closed on May 7 when the slugs were discovered. Since then, the council has kept a close eye on the spawning cycle, which has captured the city's attention.
Merewether Mackerels Winter Swimming Club kicked off its season on Sunday, but the bizarre creatures' takeover of the pool surprised club president Steve Weller.
"The baths were cleaned on Thursday, May 1, and the sea hares appeared in numbers within a day or two. My guess is they arrived as the fresh water was pumped into the baths," he said.
Sea slugs are mostly harmless to humans, but researchers linked their semi-toxic outer slime coating, used as a natural defence, to the deaths of three dogs in WA in 2018.
Sea hares inhabit most of the Australian coastline, and Nelson Bay reportedly houses 250 species in various vibrant colours and patterns.
The Australian Museum's listing for the species notes that they are regularly found in pools and can swim, but prefer gliding over the rocks and feeding on algae.
"In the natural environment, sea hares would have been taken off the rock platform by now, but in the baths, a little human help is needed," the council said via its social media on Monday afternoon. "Our team gently collected the remaining eggs and adults and returned them to the ocean at the right tide. The eggs will continue to develop as part of the natural life cycle."
Hundreds of sea hares were removed, or made their own way out of Merewether Ocean Baths in the past week after a significant spawning event filled the popular swimming spot with adult slugs and their eggs.
City of Newcastle, which manages the ocean baths, said that, on advice from marine and environmental experts, the slugs were "given space" to see out that part of their life cycle. But, as the adults departed on the high tides, teams had moved in to help along the remaining stragglers.
The baths were scheduled to be closed for draining and cleaning on Tuesday, but it was expected that they would reopen by Tuesday afternoon.
The baths were closed on May 7 when the slugs were discovered. Since then, the council has kept a close eye on the spawning cycle, which has captured the city's attention.
Merewether Mackerels Winter Swimming Club kicked off its season on Sunday, but the bizarre creatures' takeover of the pool surprised club president Steve Weller.
"The baths were cleaned on Thursday, May 1, and the sea hares appeared in numbers within a day or two. My guess is they arrived as the fresh water was pumped into the baths," he said.
Sea slugs are mostly harmless to humans, but researchers linked their semi-toxic outer slime coating, used as a natural defence, to the deaths of three dogs in WA in 2018.
Sea hares inhabit most of the Australian coastline, and Nelson Bay reportedly houses 250 species in various vibrant colours and patterns.
The Australian Museum's listing for the species notes that they are regularly found in pools and can swim, but prefer gliding over the rocks and feeding on algae.
"In the natural environment, sea hares would have been taken off the rock platform by now, but in the baths, a little human help is needed," the council said via its social media on Monday afternoon. "Our team gently collected the remaining eggs and adults and returned them to the ocean at the right tide. The eggs will continue to develop as part of the natural life cycle."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
9 News
a day ago
- 9 News
Wendy's cancer might be incurable, but she just wants to help future patients
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here When Wendy Clift went for a routine breast scan in 2007, she got call from her doctors almost immediately. "The news wasn't good," the widowed grandmother of two from Scone in regional NSW told Wendy Clift was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. (Supplied) Just days later, she had a mastectomy, followed by more treatment. While it was successful in keeping her in remission for a few years, the cancer has now returned and it has spread. However, Clift, now 72, was invited to be part of a new Australian drug trial. It's hoped it could help patients with a certain kind of breast cancer live longer. The DIAmOND clinical trial showed adding dual immunotherapy to existing treatments could be promising for some patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. Clift said her cancer appears to be "pretty stable" after the trial earlier this year, which she did at Lake Macquarie Private Hospital. Some of the cancerous lumps she had have even disappeared, though she doesn't know if that's due to the new drug combination. Clift said she didn't have side effects. She said taking part in the trial was less about her and more to help future patients. "I'm just prepared because whatever happens to me is neither here nor there, but hopefully in years to come it'll help somebody else," she said. Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses a person's immune system to treat certain cancers. Wendy Clift, pictured with son Joshua and grandchildren Florence and Arthur, says she just wants to help future cancer patients. (Supplied) The other drug used alongside this in the trial was trastuzumab, commonly known as Herceptin. The trial aimed to see if combining the two could prolong the amount of time cancer was under control in patients with advanced disease which had become resistant to trastuzumab. Results differed depending on the kind of cancer each of the 68 trial patients had. Some had a response rate of up to 63 per cent, while for other kinds it was 27 per cent. Some patients saw their cancer controlled for more than two years. The combination of drugs has been given previously to people with lung cancer. Professor Sherene Loi developed and led the trial, which was conducted by the research organisation Breast Cancer Trials. "These promising results suggest combining new immunotherapy treatments with trastuzumab may offer a new treatment option for patients with treatment-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer," Loi said. "These findings provide a compelling case for further exploration and how we can best integrate this treatment combination into clinical practice." HER2-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). However, it often responds well to specific treatments. Around 15-20 per cent of all types of breast cancers are HER2-positive. It is more common in younger, pre-menopausal women. cancer health drugs Australia medical national New South Wales CONTACT US Auto news:Is this the next Subaru WRX? Mysterious performance car teased.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
‘Overwhelmed': Major virus breakthrough
Australian researchers have found a way to force the HIV virus out of hiding within cells, opening the way to eradicate the virus from the body. The human immunodeficiency virus is able to hide within white blood cells, presenting a serious roadblock for scientists pursuing a cure. Research from Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, published in late-May, says work towards a cure is one step closer. The next hurdle is analysing whether revealing the virus allows the body's immune system to fight off the virus or if additional treatments need to be combined. Australian researchers are closer to a HIV cure. Credit: News Limited 'In terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing in terms of how well we are able to reveal this virus,' co-author Paula Cevaal told the Guardian. 'We were overwhelmed by how night-and-day difference it was – from not working before, and then all of a sudden it was working. And all of us were just sitting gasping like, 'Wow'.' The HIV that hides in white blood cells can reactivate. The Peter Doherty Institute researchers used custom-made fat bubbles to deliver mRNA into cells where HIV is hiding. The mRNA tells the cells to reveal the virus. Messenger RNA is a molecule that contains instructions for cells to make a protein. The technology rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. People with HIV have to take medication for their entire life to suppress the virus, avoid symptoms and to stop transmission to other people. About 30,000 Australians live with HIV. In 2023, 722 new cases were reported to health authorities. Globally, in 2023, an estimated 500,000 to 820,000 people died from HIV-related causes.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
‘Overwhelmed': Major breakthrough from Aussie researchers in HIV study
Australian researchers have found a way to force the HIV virus out of hiding within cells, opening the way to eradicate the virus from the body. The human immunodeficiency virus is able to hide within white blood cells, presenting a serious roadblock for scientists pursuing a cure. Research from Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, published in late-May, says work towards a cure is one step closer. The next hurdle is analysing whether revealing the virus allows the body's immune system to fight off the virus or if additional treatments need to be combined. 'In terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing in terms of how well we are able to reveal this virus,' co-author Paula Cevaal told the Guardian. 'We were overwhelmed by how night-and-day difference it was – from not working before, and then all of a sudden it was working. And all of us were just sitting gasping like, 'Wow'.' The HIV that hides in white blood cells can reactivate. The Peter Doherty Institute researchers used custom-made fat bubbles to deliver mRNA into cells where HIV is hiding. The mRNA tells the cells to reveal the virus. Messenger RNA is a molecule that contains instructions for cells to make a protein. The technology rose to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. People with HIV have to take medication for their entire life to suppress the virus, avoid symptoms and to stop transmission to other people. About 30,000 Australians live with HIV. In 2023, 722 new cases were reported to health authorities. Globally, in 2023, an estimated 500,000 to 820,000 people died from HIV-related causes.
