The EcoJel Project

The EcoJel Project is a four year project funded by the European Union Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Ireland Wales Programme 2007-2013 – Interreg 4A.

EcoJel is a collaboration between Swansea University (Wales) and University College Cork (Ireland). EcoJel aims to assess the opportunities and detrimental impacts of jellyfish in the Irish Sea.

Latest News

Portuguese Man-O-War in the Irish Sea

The last few months have seen unprecedented numbers of the highly venomous Portuguese Man-O-War (a colonial jellyfish) washing up on the Welsh and Irish coasts of the Irish Sea. Normally associated with warmer waters of the Gulf Stream, these jellyfish were probably blown into our coastal waters and shores as a result of the above normal winds experienced during July and August of this year.

However, it is not unusual to see a Portuguese Man-O-War in our coastal seas, as there are many historical records dating back to early 1900s. What is unusual is to see lots of them in the Irish Sea. Most records of the Portuguese Man-O-War are from the west coast of Ireland. If you see a Portuguese Man-O-War don’t touch it! They have a very powerful sting and should be avoided. However, please let us know if you have seen one by using our online jellyfish sighting scheme.

See to the left one of the most recent sighting of a Portuguese Man-O-War. It was found by Richard O’Brien and his family (Laura and Daniel) on a rocky beach at the end of the Rush Peninsula, Dublin, during early November.

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