WILLEMSTAD - Portuguese man o’ war have been spotted off the coast of Piscadera. Fishermen caught a total of five jellyfish. The Ministry of Health, Environment and Nature (GMN) is aware of the animal's presence and says it will issue a statement about this.
Although this type of jellyfish is not officially a jellyfish, it is often associated with this species. The animal consists of a colony of hundreds of cave animals called polyps.
A spokesman for the Ministry of GMN warns people to be careful and to distance themselves. The Ministry will issue a press release on this later today.
For humans, a sting from an animal is venomous but rarely fatal. The tentacles, which can grow up to 30 meters long, can cause serious problems such as muscle paralysis. When that happens to the heart muscle, a heart attack can occur.
In general, the jellyfish does not come close to the coast, but it can still happen that one washes up. In August and November of 2022, Portuguese man o’ war were also sighted off the Curaçao coast.