NEPTUNE, N.J. (AP) — Amid all the destruction that superstorm Sandy brought to Barnegat Bay, there’s been one quiet thread of speculation: could the storm with its massive, scouring surge from the ocean, have gotten rid of those jellyfish?

Stinging sea nettle jellyfish won’t appear in the bay until June, so it’s far too early to tell how the storm affected the population, scientists say. By the end of October when the storm arrived, the jellyfish were already at least a month into the winter dormant stage of their life cycle.