Just when you thought it was swimming season ...

Though often confused with jellyfish, this species is a colony of polyps in which many animals with a specific function — floating, feeding, reproducing and more — join forces. The men-of-war “can even eat big fish,” said Ricardo Aguilar, director of research at Oceana, a marine conservationist group.

Its poison has more serious consequences than that of jellyfish, including abdominal and chest pain, arrhythmias and muscle spasms which can cause hospitalization and, rarely, in people with cardiovascular ailments, even death. On the surface, it appears harmless enough at only 6 to 8 inches in size — but dangling below are tentacles up to 100 feet long reaching out for prey.

“You can’t see it, but it’s there,” Aguilar warned. This species lives in colder, Atlantic water, but it has been discovered sailing on powerful currents through the Strait of Gibraltar and into Mediterranean. Jellyfish do not swim — they drift. And they travel en masse — more than 6-mile-long swarms have been sighted south of Ibiza, Gili said.

Attempts to prevent jellyfish from reaching the coast have been largely unsuccessful. Tentacles that break off in protection nets can still sting. The nearly enclosed and calm waters of the Mar Menor Lagoon make it an exception, where fishermen netted more than 4,000 tons in 2003 but less than 2 percent of that last year, or 87 tons. Local authorities say this is the desired natural level. Murcia's regional government attributes the reduction to the removal of adults from the population, curbing reproduction. 

The Ministry of Environment is going to hire fishermen to pick up jellyfish in Balearic Island coastal waters, but only when there are very large hordes. The difficulty is that sighting can be unreliable: A group of jellyfish may be spotted 20 miles off the coast, floating toward land, but changing currents may move them away by the time fishing boats with nets are positioned.

“Putting the jellyfish away does not solve the problem; the species unbalance continues,” Aguilar said. The increase of jellyfish “is a symptom of a serious illness,” he said, adding that the removal of jellyfish from the coast is “like putting Band-Aids” on a deeper problem. Jellyfish feed on fish eggs and larvae, which also puts fish — and the fishing industry — at risk.

There is no easy, quick solution. Scientists say longer-term plans geared toward sea life recovery, marine environment protection and prevention of climate change are needed. Coastal communities dependent on tourism revenues are on the front line — once a battalion of jellyfish reaches the coast, there is little to do but have lifeguards raise a red flag and call out over loudspeakers to advise swimmers.

So what to do if stung by a jellyfish? Do not rub the sting. Rinse profusely with salty water, and apply a bag of ice. As for vinegar, it helps with the Portuguese man-of-war but not with most jellyfish species. Once stung, bodies become more sensitive to jellyfish poison, and the next sting can be more dangerous.

Read more GlobalPost dispatches on Spain:

Villains of the world beware

Quaffing in the Canary Islands

The mysteries inside Columbus' casket

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