A boat owner reported seeing \u201cmillions\u201d in Cardigan Bay in June. An influx of \u201calien\u201d ones were reported in Torquey last month and, last week, a swarm entered the filter drums of the pumping stations at France\u2019s largest nuclear power plant, shutting down four reactors. Why are there so many jellyfish around this year?<\/p>\n
The number of UK jellyfish sightings recorded by the Marine Conversation Society rose by 32% last year, compared to the previous 12 months and a greater number still are likely to be recorded this year. That\u2019s because jellyfish blooms follow currents of warm water. Warm sea surface temperatures. Record-high sea surface temperatures, recorded by the Met office this spring, can also trigger jellyfish to reproduce more rapidly. \u201cAll jellyfish can sting<\/a>, even dead jellyfish, but the severity varies depending on the species,\u201d says Citizen Science Programme Developer at the Marine Conservation Society, Anna Bunney. So what do you need to know?<\/p>\n How to spot the worst stingers <\/p>\n In the UK, the most commonly reported species has been the moon jellyfish, says Anna: \u201cthese are recognised by the four distinct pale purple rings on their transparent bell.\u201d<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n Compass jellyfish were also widely spotted she adds: \u201cthese usually have a pale umbrella-shaped bell with brownish V-shaped markings (hence the name) and they have 24 long, thin tentacles and four long, thick, frilled arms.\u201d<\/p>\n Both of these have a mild sting<\/a>, so if you spot one, do it\u2019s best to give them a wide berth. One you really want to watch for, however is the lion\u2019s mane jellyfish pack. \u201cThese pack a painful sting,\u201d: says Anna. \u201cThey are large, reddish brown in colour and have a mass of long, thin hair-like tentacles as well as short, thick, frilled and folded arms.\u201d<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the scariest stinger<\/a> of all. When the Marine Conservation Society released its annual Wildlife Sightings report, mark World Jellyfish Day on 3 November last year, the number of man o\u2019 war sightings has increased fourfold increase from the 65 sightings logged in the 2022-2023 report. \u201cPortuguese man o\u2019war have the most painful sting in our seas and are becoming more frequent, being the third most reported last year,\u201d says Anna. How to spot them? \u201cThey have a transparent, gas filled float with a crest, are blue-purple in colour, and have many hanging \u2018fishing polyps\u2019 below that may be tens of metres long.\u201d<\/p>\n What to do if you’re stung<\/p>\n First things first, \u201cdon\u2019t panic,\u201d says Anna: \u201cmost jellyfish stings are not emergencies. If you\u2019re swimming, get out of the water as soon as you can and tell a lifeguard (if there\u2019s one on duty), so they can warn others in the water.\u201d Next up, rinse the affected area with seawater (not fresh water) and try to remove any spines from the skin using tweezers or the edge of a bank card (not your bare hands). Then, soak the area in very warm water (as hot as can be tolerated) for at least 30 minutes and finally take a painkiller. <\/p>\n You should seek medical advice if severe pain won\u2019t go away, or your high temperature or wound doesn\u2019t get better. You\u2019ll need urgent help if you have chest pains, difficulty breathing, vomiting, fits, severe bleeding or swelling or loss of consciousness. <\/p>\n The good news is that you DON’T need to pee on it. It won\u2019t help. Nor should you apply ice or cover the wound. <\/p>\n What about the ones washed up on the beach?<\/p>\n If you spot a jellyfish on the beach, it\u2019s likely that is already dead, says Anna: \u201cJellyfish aren\u2019t very strong swimmers and are at the whim of the waves and ocean currents, meaning they are often blown off course. If you spot one washed up, or in the sea, please report it to the Marine Conservation Society at www.mcsuk.org\/sightings<\/a>, as it helps us to understand changes in our seas, like warming waters. Do not pick them up and return to the water, as remember \u2013 even dead jellyfish can sting!\u201d<\/p>\n Are they dangerous to dogs?<\/strong> <\/p>\n \u201cJust like humans, jellyfish stings can be painful for your dog,\u201d says Anna. \u201cWe advise keeping your dog on a lead if you see jellyfish stranded on the beach, and if your dog does get stung, consult your vet as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Related StoryRelated StoryRelated Story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A boat owner reported seeing \u201cmillions\u201d in Cardigan Bay in June. An influx of \u201calien\u201d ones were reported…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3847],"tags":[1329,126033,1331,1330,70,126032,16,15,1717],"class_list":{"0":"post-358071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-content-type-feature","9":"tag-contentid-3098823b-37b5-42bf-ab65-6b081b645a22","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-locale-gb","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-shorttitle-should-you-pee-on-a-jellyfish-sting","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115058230400651815","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}