Man of Wars Hit Rhody
Be careful out there ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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July 25, 2006
New wave of man-of-wars hits beaches
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLESTOWN, R.I. - Like many people soaking up the sun on Blue Shutters Town Beach yesterday, Julie Coburn was determined to spend the day at the shore, despite warnings about Portuguese man-of-wars, a jellyfish-like organism with a painful sting.
''They're not supposed to be here, we are,'' said Coburn, 44, who drove 2½ hours from her home in Bernardston, Mass., for a weeklong vacation in Rhode Island, and was disappointed to find out the warm-water creatures were floating offshore.
From Westerly, R.I., to Nantucket, the summer has seen an unusual number of Portuguese man-of-wars off southern New England. Scientists say a change in the pattern of the Gulf Stream, warmer waters, a northern wind and recent storms are probably all to blame.
Rhode Island state officials said the creatures had been seen at beaches in Jamestown, Newport, South Kingstown, Narragansett, Block Island, Charlestown and Westerly this summer.
An 18-year-old girl was stung at Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly yesterday afternoon and taken to the hospital as a precaution, said Gail Mastrati, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Management.
Restrictions were in place at state beaches in the South County area, where people were warned not to go further than waist-deep into the water. Charlestown officials also restricted swimming at the town's two beaches after a few people were stung on Sunday, including a 9-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, said Lisa DiBello, the town's director of parks and recreation. In her 18 years with the department, DiBello said this is the first time she has encountered Portuguese man-of-wars here.
Lifeguards at Blue Shutters said a 14-year-old boy was also stung on Sunday at the beach.
The Portuguese man-of-war, also known as a bluebottle, is actually a floating colony of polyps. The organism, with a balloon-like sail propelled by the winds, trails stinging tentacles that can reach 100 feet or more. The stings deliver a neurotoxin that can be extremely painful and sometimes require medical attention.
Typically, the creature sticks to warm tropical and subtropical areas.
They sometimes appear in the Northeast after being carried here by warm currents or storms, but typically not in such large numbers.
Najih Lazar, supervising biologist with Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management, said officials don't know for sure why the creatures are finding their way to New England. But he said it's probably a combination of factors.
The Gulf Stream moves north from Florida along the East Coast before turning east toward Europe, Lazar said.
''That turn is usually south of Delaware, about 300 miles off shore,'' he said. ''This year it's a little more north than usual.''
A recent tropical storm off the coast of New England, along with about a week-and-a-half of winds pushing north, are also probably to blame for the latest group of organisms, he said.
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