Tangled sea lines have increased in number in the past year around the Bohu coast, from Strömstad to Lysekil. They burn worse than burning jellyfish and now winter bathers are being asked to keep an extra eye in the water.
– See a doctor if you burn yourself badly or get a fever, says Christin Appelqvist, research engineer at Tjärnö marine laboratory in Strömstad.
The nettle tangled sea line has for some time been seen around the Bohu coast, something like Strömstad’s newspaper previously reported on. They can be up to 30 meters long and burns worse than ordinary burning jellyfish.
Now winter bathers are asked to look up in the water for the burning animals.
– They can be difficult to see, says Christin Appelqvist, research engineer at Tjärnö marine laboratory in Strömstad.
“Winter variant”
The species stays close to the water surface between November and January. Otherwise, they stay far out to sea as they thrive in colder water. Christin Appelqvist describes the tangled ocean cord as a “winter variant”.
– They can be seen down to a thousand meters below the surface, deep in the Atlantic. You can usually see them with underwater vehicles, she says.
Otherwise, they stay in open water and have been seen along the Bohu coast, mainly between Strömstad and Lysekil. But some more reports are yet to come in.
– There was a strong gale in the middle of last week and that caused them to drift out to sea, she says and continues:
– I’ve been checking every day but haven’t seen anyone again.
Invitation to winter bathers
For those who like winter swimming, Christin Appelqvist urges you to keep an extra look out if you stay around the coast.
– They burn worse than jellyfish and they are quite small. I’d say use the same caution as when looking for stingrays and have someone keep an eye out.
If you do happen to burn yourself on tangled fishing line, she urges you to try to remove parts of the animal that may remain on the body.
– I’m not a doctor, but I would say to see a doctor if you burn yourself badly or get a fever, says Christin Appelqvist.
It’s a native species that thrives in the cold, but it’s rare for it to appear on this scale. The first time something like this was reported was in 1997 and we know that the species has increased along the Norwegian Atlantic coast in recent years.
The species belongs to a group called siphonophores, or tube jellyfish. Unlike a jellyfish, which is a single individual, these consist of many genetically identical individuals that form a small train, or colony as we call it. Parts of the colony swim, others pick up food, and still others produce gametes. So they have a common string but different tasks. They grow by forming more individuals in the same chain, and can at any time bud off and form new colonies. In addition, they have the ability to emit light, just like fireflies, but it is not known what its function is.
Source: Christin Appelqvist, University of Gothenburg