The Portuguese warship approaches Norway

Several “Portuguese warships” were reported to have dispersed in British waters.

The venomous jellyfish initially prefers to live in the sea, but due to storms they have started moving to new areas, he reports News from heaven.

This is the “death jellyfish”

A total of 1,315 jellyfish observations were made, with a 2% increase for Portuguese warships. The Marine Conservation Society reports this in its new annual report.

The Portuguese warship is a large blue colored jellyfish. It has different names. In Norway it is defined by the media as the death jellyfish, in Latin it is called physalia physalis and in English it is called Portuguese Man o ‘Warto write The Pocket Doctor.

Very toxic

The jellyfish has tentacles that contain poisonous capsules that can paralyze or kill small fish and crustaceans.

They are rarely fatal if they attack humans, but contact with jellyfish will still be very painful and could cause a rash.

Now the jellyfish have come one degree closer to Norway, as over a thousand have been observed in British waters.

– Storms in October 2021 and February 2022 led to an increase in sightings of Portuguese warships, up 2% from the previous year. Although they have a bad reputation, these jellyfish-like creatures are not normally found in British waters, preferring instead to drift offshore, says a spokesperson for the Marine Conservation Society.

Unusual visits were mainly along the south-west and west coasts of Scotland.

Norwegian expert: – Worrying

Fredrik Myhre is a marine biologist and head of the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) ocean team. He believes it is worrying that marine species may more often find their way into new marine areas.

– This is due, among other things, to man-made challenges. Major Portuguese warship discoveries outside Britain described by the Marine Conservation Society indicate that more frequent storms may be why more of these individuals end up further north than before, Myhre tells Dagbladet.

He says we are seeing more frequent storms due to, among other things, rising greenhouse gas emissions, emissions that contribute to both the climate crisis and the natural crisis the world is in today.

He can come to Norway

– Can we try to bring Portuguese warships to Norway in a few years? Considering climate change.

– It is not unthinkable, at least if we humans are unable to stop our emissions of destructive greenhouse gases. After all, nature doesn’t know our man-made boundaries, and species will always move to areas where they find it natural to live, Myhre says.

He explains that a warmer sea will also lead to new species entering Norwegian waters, which WWF is already observing in several places along the coast. There it is more common to find more heat-loving species, such as St. Peter’s fish and pygmy pike.

– What will be the consequences in that case?

– The fact that new species enter areas they have never been before can, at worst, lead to serious consequences for the fauna and habitats that originally existed there, says Myhre.

– Potentially negative effect

He clarifies that we also have several examples in Norwegian waters, where an alien species that was not commonly found in the past has established itself and has severely degraded the nature that should actually be in the area. The large Pacific oyster deposits are one example.

– The entry of Portuguese warships into Norwegian waters will therefore potentially have a negative effect on several animal species. This is partly due to the fact that it can become a contender for the dinner plate along the coast and at sea, Myhre says, before continuing:

– Bathers along our coast will need to become more aware of what’s on the beach when they bathe throughout the year.

Shark attack near Norway

At the meeting: – Don’t panic

If you come across a Portuguese warship while out swimming, it is wise not to panic, but try to return to the mainland on the beach in a calm and controlled manner.

At the same time, Myhre points out that if such an individual is discovered in the water, there may soon be others nearby.

Fortunately, being burned by this animal is usually not fatal, but it must be very painful. If it is in Norway that you discover a Portuguese warship, you must also make sure you contact the Marine Research Institute in Bergen so that our researchers can record the discovery for the sake of science, Myhre concludes.

Turtles discovered

The report also states that a total of eleven turtles, including six live leatherback turtles, have been discovered on the coast of Scotland.

Amy Pilsbury, head of the MCS annual report, explains that they use the observations to spot trends in marine research on jellyfish and sea turtles across the UK.

– Investigating the relationships between species can help us discover more about our amazing underwater world and how it can change in response to things like climate change, Pilsbury tells Sky News.