Why all the worms at the Jersey Shore? We ask an expert

Some people down at the shore have recently noticed some unwanted visitors. >> Yeah, multiple viewers have sent us videos of worms swimming in the ocean. New Jersey correspondent Trish Hartman joins us live from North Wildwood to explain what's going on. Trish? >> Yeah, a few people we spoke with today say they've been coming down the shore for decades and they've never seen worms in the water like this. Now, an expert we spoke with says these worms are usually buried deep in the sand and they were likely out and about in the ocean for a very specific reason. On this picture perfect beach day in Wildwood, plenty of people were keeping their eyes peeled for worms. >> Worm/ little eel things. They look like little baby eels almost. >> Photos and videos popped up all over social media over the weekend. The worms about an inch long were swimming in the ocean. >> Tons of little worms like the size of these little sticks. They were probably about this long, this wide, half black, half orange. >> And they garnered some mixed reviews from some visitors. >> They're nasty. >> They're weird >> and they're pretty common in the Atlantic Ocean. >> They're always there. They're usually buried. Marine science professor Christine Thompson from Stockton University says these worms are likely clam worms, also known as bristle worms or cinder worms. >> They're marine polyets. They're related to earthworms. So that's like the terrestrial version. >> If you look closely, you can see small bristles along the worm's body. And the fact that they were out in large numbers, she says likely means one thing. >> When it is time for them to spawn or mate, that's when they start swimming. and they have this particular behavior where they start swimming around and that's how they breed. >> She says they're relatively harmless with a few anecdotal accounts of biting from anglers who were handling the worms. While they were certainly a surprise, they didn't seem to keep people away from the water, unlike some other sea creatures. >> It was different, but anything but jellyfish, I'm okay with. >> And we have reported on those, too. Now, today the worms seem to be gone to the delight of many. And Professor Thompson says typically these breeding events are pretty short and usually the worms die afterwards. So, uh, you were either very lucky or unlucky to witness this depending on how you feel about worms. We're live in North Wildwood, New Jersey, Trish Hartman, Channel 6 Action News. Sarah Christie, >> I think we'll reserve our opinion on the the worms for now, Trish. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Thank you very much.