Claudia Calleja
Possible sightings of Portuguese man-of-war
A photograph of a Portuguese man-of-war claimed to have been taken at Ċirkewwa in March and sent to Bicref.
Unconfirmed sightings of the jellyfish-like Portuguese man-of-war, known for its excruciating sting, are trickling in as bathers claim to have come across the floating invertebrate near Maltese beaches.
The authorities, however, have nothing more to go by than people's reports and the odd inconclusive photograph.
The Health Ministry has been informed about a sighting near Għar Lapsi, adding this "could not be confirmed," a spokesman said.
The Biological Conservation Research Foundation (Bicref) received five reports and two photographs, said Adriana Vella, marine conservation biologist and the founder of Bicref.
While the photos sent were of the man-of-war, the foundation could not confirm the exact location. The people who sent in the photographs claim they were taken in February and March at Golden Bay and Ċirkewwa.
Technically called physalia physalis, the man-of-war is not actually a jellyfish but a colony of different kinds of organisms, including polyps, living together.
Until last week no formal reports had been made but, whether confirmed or not, they are slowly coming in. On receiving reports, Bicref forwards the details to the health authorities.
If it turned out these reports were founded, could the species start a colony in Maltese waters? "As this species is confirmed to usually also inhabit the Mediterranean, what is new is that it seems to be increasing in abundance. Coming months and years will show to what extent this may lead to their presence in our waters on a regular basis unless biological conditions will not keep them under check," Dr Vella said.
She said that various scientists believed the presence of jellyfish and similar species was growing as seas were losing their typical biodiversity due to overfishing, pollution and global warming.
"While blooms of these organisms have been occurring naturally in the past, there is concern that the increasing persistence of such blooms may have a marked impact on marine life," she said.
According to the Mediterranean fishing website medfish.com, the man-of-war has ventured into waters normally considered too warm for it.
Although, until recently, there were no reported sightings in Malta, there were at least some sightings off the southern coasts of Spain in April while another sighting was recorded closer to home in the south east of Sicily last February.
According to the National Geographic, the man-of-war comprises four separate polyps. It gets its name from the uppermost polyp - a gas-filled bladder which sits above the water and somewhat resembles an old warship at full sail.
Also known as bluebottle, the species has no independent means of propulsion and either drifts on the currents or catches the wind.
Anyone who comes across anything different to the normal jellyfish is urged to inform the health authorities or Bicref (www.bicref.org).
Treating the sting
The tentacles of the man-of-war can extend up to 50 metres in length below the surface of the sea and contain venom used to paralyse and kill fish and other small creatures.
For humans, a man-of-war sting is excruciatingly painful but rarely deadly. Even dead man-of-wars washed up on shore can sting.
If stung, rinse the area gently with seawater or fresh water to remove any tentacles stuck to the skin. Do not apply vinegar as this can make the sting burn more. Put an ice pack to slow the venom from spreading.
If symptoms persist, and you have difficulty breathing, dizziness, nausea, or stomach cramps, seek medical attention immediately.
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David Mason
Jun 15th 2009, 11:39
I, too, was at Sizi's pool when my wife took the picture. A simple internet search gives this link which shows an almost identical picture and description.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/portuguese-man-of-war.html
But if you want to see a picture of a Vellela Vellela go to
http://morro-bay.com/docents/curt-beebe/velella/
and look at the size of the organism. Also "The Velella is sometimes mistakenly called a 2 cm "portuguese man-of-war" and has cellophane like floats and erect triangular sails" from
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Velella_velella.html
There do seem to be different methods of coping with the stings but as they are prevalent in Hawaii, this link may be useful:
http://www.key-biscayne.com/beach_park/facts/manowar.shtml
PAMELA MASON
Jun 14th 2009, 23:48
The photograph shown is an enlargement of part of a photograph I took in Suzi's Pool, Cirkewwa at the end of March 2009, and sent to BICREF. In the original photograph it is possible to identify the railings leading to Suzi's Pool - a popular entry point for scuba divers. This sighting can be confirmed by SUBWAY dive school of Bugibba (and several other local dive schools as well as local underwater photographer Adrian Sharkey.) It was most definitely a Portugese man of War.
Joseph Borg
Jun 13th 2009, 17:20
@ Roger Said.
The jellyfish you are mentioning is very common near the filfla area and is truly harmless although being very big. But the O'War has absolutely nothing to do with that type of jellyfish. First of all it is blue and has a bottle like structure which fills up with air and this part is always above the surface of the water. The big brown harmless jellyfish you mentioned always has it whole body below the surface of the water.
Roger Said
Jun 12th 2009, 09:21
Lol...man o' war? Oh come on guys...cheer up! I scooped two of those jellyfishes in a row with my hands a few weeks ago in Sliema! ~7inches in diameter, orange-brownish underside. They're harmless.
wally vella-zarb
Jun 11th 2009, 16:30
@ Adrian Buttigieg. I am happy for you that you made a correct identification and thus avoided contact with the animal.
Bathers should bear in mind that even a severed tentacle that gets entangled with seaweeds or rocks remains active - and dangerous - for a considerable time. Little children who are left to paddle in rock pools that are close to the water's edge are particularly at risk because of their sensitive skin and low body mass. If anyone comes across such a trapped animal, please do not mess with it: while it can be readily seen, the same cannot be said for its tentacles, some of which are hair-thin, incredibly long, and are almost invisible.
Adrian Buttigieg
Jun 11th 2009, 15:45
@ Wally Vella Zarb
Just to confirm that a Portugese man of war was seen by myself and many other proffessional diving instructors and divers,at Cirkewwa about 4 weeks ago.It wasnt a 'VELELLA Velella' as these only grow to about an inch or two.The one seen at Cirkewwa was about 7 inches long.It was there trapped in the same spot,in the shallows all morning.I have to add that none havent been seen since.
MT Caruana
Jun 11th 2009, 14:36
A.Borg
You are right I got this mail this morning.
And furthermore last Monday 2 women told me so verbally too.
Aimee Fenech
Jun 11th 2009, 13:53
We need to get ourselves a nice big colony of loggerhead turtles who feeds on these jellies.
v.pulis
Jun 11th 2009, 13:52
I'm getting confused now! In recent reports on how to treat the sting of Portugese man o'war
It was advised not to wash the affected part with fresh water and not to put ice on it. Here we are being topld to do just that! Can someone tell us exactly what should be done please?
@ A Borg
I got that email and binned it immediately!
Veronica Debattista
Jun 11th 2009, 12:35
I am a BIT confused!!! A few weeks ago, the Times published an article on how to prevent stings from a Portuguese man of war. This article stated 'NOT to use fresh water as it reactivates the toxins' and 'to NOT use warm water or ice pack'.
WHICH ONE IS CORRECT??? If information is provided, it should not be contradicting and misleading!!!!
wally vella-zarb
Jun 11th 2009, 11:36
It is not unlikely that the alleged sightings were of the more common 'VELELLA Velella', also known as a 'by-the-wind sailor', 'purple sail' or 'little sail'. This hydrozoan also has a gas-filled sac which it uses as a sail (hence the name) and is coloured bright blue. Although it stings, it is nowhere near as dangerous as Physalia physalis, the Portuguese man o' war.
A. Borg
Jun 11th 2009, 09:48
The authorities concerned please note that an email which is definitely fake and intended to unnecessarily alarm people is doing the rounds. I received it this morning and quote it as received (bad Maltese grammar/spelling and mistakes):
NIESS ATTENTI GHAX FIL BAHAR QED JITFAW XI KIMIKA KONTRA IL VALENU TAL BRAM OQODU ATTENTI GHAX ANKE IL KIMIKA VALENUZA U MIGA TEFAW XI FTIT MA MALTA JIGGIFIERI TMORRUX TGHUMU GHALISSA!!! GHAMLUA FORWARD LIL KULL MINN TAFU JEKK TRIDUH ISALVA...AQRAHA U IFOWARDJA JEKK ANDEK KUXJENZA!! GHEN LIL HADD IEHOR JEKK TRID LIL HADDIEHOR JGHINU LILEK....