UK tourists warned after rare 'purple' warning issued for Spain 'and its islands'
UK holidaymakers visiting Spain and its islands are being warned of an increase in jellyfish washing up on its popular beaches ahead of the peak summer season.
A jellyfish surge on Spanish beaches has sparked warnings for tourists. UK holidaymakers visiting Spain and its islands are being warned of an increase in jellyfish washing up on its popular beaches ahead of the peak summer season.
Beachgoers have been warned over larger amounts of jellyfish, including a jellyfish-like creature that can cause powerful pain, appearing on the Spanish shoreline.
A yellow flag has been raised at Las Teresitas Beach in Santa Cruz de Tenerife after several Portuguese Man O' War were discovered on the shore. In addition to the yellow flag, a special purple flag for marine fauna is flying to alert everyone to the potential danger.
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Last summer, nearly 7,500 swimmers sought medical treatment for jellyfish stings across some of Spain’s most popular beaches on the Catalan coast, a 41 per cent increase from the previous year.
The UK’s Wildlife Trusts says the Portuguese man o’ war can be identified as a “large translucent purple float, the crest tipped with pink, and long blueish-violet tentacles.”
Macarena Marambio, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Science in Barcelona, told The Guardian last year: “The jellyfish are becoming more common and are increasing both their seasonal and regional distribution.
“Warmer seas aid reproduction and as a result, we’re seeing increasing numbers of the purple barrel jellyfish.” Josep Maria Gili, Marambio’s colleague at the institute, said: “There’s no short-term solution because it’s about climate. We’ll have to get used to sharing our beaches with jellyfish.”
“All the research shows that the numbers are cyclical and some years jellyfish are much more numerous than in others,” Marambio said.
“However, what we’re seeing in the Costa Brava is the cycles are getting shorter. The cycle of years with abundant jellyfish is shortening in some species from eight or 10 years to just two.”