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Climate change, overfishing and pollution cause jellyfish invasion in Spain
photo by Hans Hillewaert (Wikimedia Commons)
Spain’s beaches are unusually full of dangerous, round, pinkish-purple blobs this year. No, they’re not aggressive sunburnt British holidaymakers drunk on cheap Spanish beer, but swarms of Mauve Stinger jellyfish – and they’re causing havoc.
Several beaches on the Costa Blanca – an area on Spain’s Mediterranean coast which is particularly popular with British tourists – have been closed due to the recent invasion of jellyfish. The Mauve Stinger jellyfish, or Pelagia nocticula, has a mild sting, but can cause severe, even fatal, reactions in some people.
From a report in the Telegraph:
The Red Cross treated 50 people for stings in just half an hour last Thursday on a beach in Denia, a resort on Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast and fear numbers may reach that of 2008, when a record 4,000 people were treated for stings in Denia alone.
Jellyfish populations have boomed in the past few years – a phenomenon attributed to global warming, overfishing and organic pollution from agricultural waste and fertilizers.
Warmer temperatures may also be causing the Mauve Stingers to move north. In 2007 a salmon farm in Northern Ireland suffered an invasion which killed over 100,000 fish, according to an AP report.
Earlier news, like this article from Barcelona Reporter, reported that researchers expected less jellyfish in Spain this year. However, populations of certain species are exploding in areas of low salinity, such as Denia. Besides Mauve Stingers, highly dangerous Portuguese Man 0’War – though not actually a jellyfish – have been spotted in the Atlantic off the coast of Asturias in Northern Spain.
For accounts of several jellyfish attacks in recent years from around the world, see the following article from AOL News:
When Jelly Goes Bad: 6 Recent Jellyfish Attacks
Tags: attacks, coast, dangerous, Denia, invasion, jellyfish, Mauve Stingers, overfishing, Pollution, populations, Spain
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Thank you for the info, BL.
Looks like people will be needing this kind of knowledge more and more in the coming years as the jellyfish take over! :O
I have been in and around beaches for 40 years and I suppose I’ve been stung by every marine stinger species at some point…tried all the myths…meat tenderizer…urine..baking soda..sand and so on but vinegar has always worked…always rinse in salt water never fresh…remove any remaining tentacles with a gloved hand or stick but never touch them as the nematocysts continue to fire…since its almost impossible to remember to bring pickles or vinegar to the beach, I found a product that is 5% acetic acid called StingMate…very strong vinegar…it works..very effective..convenient spray bottle fits in your pocket or surf bag… got my on line from world class swimmer Julie Bradshaw MBE UK…. keep the sunny side up…BL