Beachgoers should avoid visiting those along the eastern coastline such as Manzanilla and Mayaro where hundreds of Portuguese Man-O-War have washed ashore over the past few days, said the acting director of the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) Dr Rahanna Jumman.
“The thing about the Man-o-War is that they don’t move for themselves, they move by the wind. They have these gas-filled bladders called pneumatophores and that (the wind) blows them.
“A lot of how they move is dependent on the...ocean circulation and wind, so we’ve been having some rough seas in recent times and a lot of wind,” she explained
Sightings of the Man-O-War along Trinidad’s east coast are not uncommon as they typically travel in the North Atlantic oceanic current.
However, both Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Christine Newallo-Hosein and Manzanilla Councillor Kenwyn Phillip said this is the first time they have seen them in such large numbers.
At Manzanilla beach yesterday, hundreds of the siphonophore (species resembling jellyfish) could be seen in various stages of decomposition. In some area, they covered an entire stretch and there was an unmistakable aroma of decay in the air.
These dead Man-O-War, Dr Jumman warned, still pose a threat.
“It could be fatal in rare occasions if you’re highly susceptible to the venom. It can cause you to asphyxiate (suffocate) but generally, it could be very, very painful. It stings and could leave like a welt on the skin,” she said.
She said judging from the quantity she has seen washed up on the shore, she can only “imagine how much is in the water” which is why members of the public should avoid these areas.
Dr Jumman explained that Man-O-War tentacles which can reach lengths of 15 metres, often are hidden below the water.
She said it is too risky to remove those which have washed ashore.
“I would not advise anybody to go and try to pick it up. In parts of the world, when you have parts of it washing up, what they do is close off the beach,” she said
A good indicator of when it’s safe to return to the beach is when the Man-O-War is no longer washing ashore.
On Thursday, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) confirmed sightings of the Portuguese Man-O-War on beaches art Manzanilla and to a lesser extent, Mayaro. They advised citizens and tourists to exercise vigilance and extreme caution when visiting these beaches.