The Spot the Jellyfish citizen science campaign received an alert from Danica Bonello Spiteri about a beached Portuguese man o’ war colony (Physalia physalis) at Wied l-Ghasri in Gozo. According to Prof. Alan Deidun, coordinator of the same campaign, the species, which is not a true jellyfish but rather a siphonophore colony of four different types of polyps known as ‘zooids’, is only rarely observed within Maltese coastal waters, with the campaign recording it less than ten times since August 2009. Most of the previous sightings were made along the western and north-western shores of the islands.
Prof. Deidun warns that the species inflicts very painful stings and the venom in detached tentacles and even in dead specimens (such as those which wash up on shore) can remain active for a few days and thus dead specimens should NOT BE TOUCHED. Applying vinegar or alcohol can actually intensify the pain sensation as it triggers the firing of further stinging cells. Best treatment would consist of the application of hot packs or hot water immersion, as specified within the MED-JELLYRISK sting treatment booklet currently available for free download on the Spot the Jellyfish website (http://193.188.45.233/jellyfish/docs/firstaid.pdf).
The colony has an air-filled bladder called the marissa or sail through it manages to float. The species is commonly known as the Portuguese man-o-war by virtue of its resemblance to a 16th century vessel of Portuguese design, known as the caravel, which had triangular sails similar in outline to Physalia. Some polyps are specialised for capturing prey, others for feeding and others for reproduction, such that polyps are inter-dependent on each other. The species is native of tropical sub-tropical areas of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, occasionally being projected into the Mediterranean in spring by persistent westerly winds.Further information about the Portuguese man o’ war can be gleaned from: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/sertc/The Portuguese man.pdf
The Spot the Jellyfish campaign enjoys the support of the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) and of Nature Trust, Friends of the Earth, EkoSkola, the BlueFlag Malta programme andSharklab. The initiative follows a citizen science approach and relies on the collaboration of the general public, mariners, divers, and especially the younger generations through their teachers and parents, by recruiting their assistance in recording the presence and location of different jellyfish through the use of a dedicated colourful reporting leaflet. The leaflet is being widely distributed,and can be directly downloaded from www.ioikids.net/jellyfish, which is replete with snippets and anecdotes about different jellyfish species.With the support of MTA, large postershave furthermore been projected on seaside boards along major bays on both islands.