Invasion from out of the blue
They are blue, they smell disgusting and they are all over our beaches.
Called by-the-wind-sailors, millions of jellyfish-like creatures are coming ashore, not just in Taranaki, but also further down the West Coast of the North Island.
Last week the blue stinkers washed up on New Plymouth’s Fitzroy Beach, nearby Oakura Beach and further south at Hawera.
Yesterday they were all over Back Beach at New Plymouth, with many people wandering down to have a look.
The blue sea creatures also invaded the beach at Pukerua Bay, on the Kāpiti Coast, north of Wellington, and the coast at Makara, west of Wellington.
By-the-wind-sailors are also called velella, according to
Livescience.com. And while they’re not actually jellyfish – they’re hydrozoans – they are related to bluebottles, or Portuguese Man O’ War.
But unlike their jellyfish cousins the velella don’t sting humans.
However, Livescience.com doesn’t recommend touching your face or eyes after handling them.
Velella float on the ocean surface and are blown by the wind,
Livescience.com says.
‘‘A velella’s electric-blue body hangs down into the water, with stinging tentacles that capture small prey such as tiny shrimp and plankton.’’
In May, tonnes of seaweed washed up on the beach at the end of Buller St following stormy weather, and gardeners were quick to collect it as winter food for their plants.
But Dee Turner, who is an educator for organic horticulture, said she didn’t know whether the velella would be good for the garden.
‘‘But anything that is organic matter is food for the garden. That it has salt is neither here nor there because gardens do need a bit of salt.’’
At the moment people are mulching seaweed on their asparagus, she said.
‘‘I’m not sure on the jellyfish, but anything that has lived and died is organic matter. It can’t do any damage.’’
But to make sure the velellas don’t cause any problems for pets, she said she would advise putting them in a compost bin.
‘‘And mix in some carbon layers, such as cardboard or hay. After a while you’ll get compost. It’ll be strange, but it’ll be compost.’’
Last week Department of Conservation acting operations manager Callum Lilley said Taranaki often saw large amounts of by-thewind sailors wash up on its coastline and wasn’t out of the ordinary to get them at this time of year.
‘‘In fact, it is the time of year that we are most likely to see them,’’ he said. ‘‘Although they can be seen at other times, too.’’
The sailors were at the mercy of the wind and currents and generally onshore winds would drive them to shore, he said.
‘‘They have a sail that sticks up and catches the wind.’’
‘‘Anything that is organic matter is food for the garden. That it has salt is neither here nor there because gardens do need a bit of salt.’’
Dee Turner Organic horticulture educator