Portuguese man-of-war showing up far from home in Atlantic waters
HALIFAX — Unwanted visitors of the gelatinous kind are making their way to Nova Scotia waters, spooking some swimmers who have come across potentially lethal Portuguese man-of-war that have travelled far from their tropical homes.
Bethany Nordstrom, a biology student at Dalhousie University who is researching jellyfish, said Tuesday that she has had five confirmed sightings of Portuguese man-of-war so far this summer, raising questions about their unusual presence in northern waters.
“They prefer tropical and subtropical waters, so they don’t usually end up in our waters unless it’s a windy, stormy summer,” she said. “They’re very much affected by wind and tide and currents because they don’t have a way to move on their own … these guys just go by the wind.”
She said man-of-war don’t have a jellyfish’s classic bell shape that pulses water in and out, allowing them to move on their own. Instead, they have a flotation device like a balloon that holds them above the water and are moved by the currents, while their tentacles drag beneath them.