AN increasing number of Portuguese man o’war jellyfish, which can cause whip-like wounds from their stings, have been spotted along Scotland’s coastline.
A total of 1315 jellyfish sightings were reported across the UK to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) for its annual review, including a 2% increase in the man o'war.
The majority of these visitors were seen along the “south-west coast and the west coast of Scotland”.
A spokeswoman for the charity said: “Storms in October 2021 and February 2022 led to an increase in Portuguese man o’war sightings, which were up by 2% from the previous year.
READ MORE: £2.9m to counter 'Tory attacks on Scottish nature' revealed by Lorna Slater at Dundee conference
“Although they have a bad reputation, these jellyfish-like creatures don’t normally occur in UK waters, preferring instead to drift in the open ocean.
“Sightings of these unusual visitors were primarily along the south-west coast and the west coast of Scotland, with westerly winds carrying them across the Atlantic to our shores.
“Sometimes stranding at the same time was the violet sea snail, which floats on the surface in bubble rafts, feeding on Portuguese man o’wars.”
The MCS regularly records sightings of eight species of jellyfish, with the compass jellyfish and the moon jellyfish each accounting for 23% of sightings, seen in smacks – the collective noun for jellyfish – of more than 100.
The spokeswoman said 11 other species were spotted and added: “The charity saw an increase in ‘other’ species reported, up from 5% to 9% this year.
“Among these were the bioluminescent crystal jellyfish, which made up 3% of total sightings, and sea gooseberries at 1% – the highest percentages reported to date.
“Tracking reports of ‘other’ species like these could show how changes in temperatures might be impacting jellyfish diversity in the UK.
“Crystal jellyfish are usually found in the Pacific Ocean, rarely spotted in UK waters, suggesting that warmer temperatures may be impacting jellyfish diversity in the UK.”
A total of 11 turtles, which feed on jellyfish, were reported, six of which were live leatherback turtles spotted on the coast of Scotland.
Amy Pilsbury, MCS citizen science project lead, said: “We use these sightings, alongside scientists, to spot trends in the distribution of jellyfish and marine turtles around the UK.
“Investigating the relationships between species can help us to discover more about our amazing underwater world and how it might be changing in response to things like climate change.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel