Spain: Shock as popular tourist beaches covered in jellyfish at Mar Menor | Travel News | To travel
La Manga is one of the main tourist areas in Spain with many British travelers visiting the region each year. The surroundings of Mar Menor are also popular with British expats.
One resident told a local Spanish newspaper: “The beaches of Galua and Marchamalo are teeming with them. I have lived here for 40 years and have never seen so many.
An expert from the Cartagena Oceanographic Research Institute said: “Something similar happened four years ago in the port of Cartagena and schools of this species often appear in Cabo de Palos and Calblanque, but I have never seen so many in this region.
Jellyfish belonged to the Pelagia noctiluca species and are quite small but have a strong sting.
They are purple in color, which has earned them the nicknames ‘Mauve Stinger’ and ‘Purple people-eater’.
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Jellyfish are covered in stinging cells and are even able to sting for a short time after death.
A sting from one of the purple creatures usually results in pain that lasts one to two weeks, redness, and a rash.
Although it is painful, it is generally not very dangerous and there are no known deaths from this species of jellyfish.
In very rare cases, the jellyfish sting can leave a scar if the sufferer has an allergic reaction to the attack.
When jellyfish wash up on shore, they can impact tourist resorts as they often turn off visitors for fear of being stung.
Mar Menor has suffered from pollution which has thrown thousands of dead fish onto the shore over the past two years.
The once beautiful lagoon is believed to have been polluted with agricultural waste, resulting in a lack of oxygen in the water.
However, scientists said they had ruled out a toxic cause for the massive jellyfish death, as no other fish washed up on the shore.
Cartagena City Hall is responsible for the area and has confirmed it will remove the jellyfish on December 20.
Unvaccinated British tourists are currently prohibited from traveling to Spain, as all Britons must be fully vaccinated to enter.
British tourists returning from Spain to the UK must pass a pre-departure test before arriving in the UK.
They should then take a PCR test no later than the second day after travel and self-isolate until they receive the result.
