Beaches on alert after invasion by Portuguese man o’ war
A WARNING has been issued over Portuguese man o’ war after several of the jellyfish-like creatures washed up on British beaches.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says the stings can be exceptionally painful and, in extreme cases, fatal. They are only occasion- ally reported in UK waters, with the last significant standings in 2009 and 2012.
But in recent days, sightings have been recorded in Cornwall and west Wales. Mara Swift spotted one of the purple-hued stingers at the south end of Newgale Beach, Pembrokeshire, on Thursday. She reported the sighting to the MCS. Then another was spotted on a beach in Newquay, Cornwall.
The creatures are not technically jellyfish but a collection of interdependent organisms. They live on the surface of the ocean and the gasfilled bladder on top acts as a sail, meaning they travel according to the winds, currents and tides.
They are most commonly found in the open ocean in tropical and subtropical regions.
Beachgoers are being advised to keep their eyes open as a single Portuguese man o’ war can be followed by others in the vicinity. Anyone spotting one should not touch it and immediately report it to HM coastguard on 01646 690909. Several sightings were reported off Cornwall and the Scilly Isles last year, but the major standings that had been feared did not occur.
At the time, Dr Peter Richardson, Head of the MCS biodiversity programme, said: “We don’t receive reports of Portuguese man o’ war every year, but when we do they can turn up in big numbers, usually around about this time of year.”
He added: “It’s the tentacle-like polyps that can give an agonising and potentially lethal sting.”