More Than Two-Dozen Man O' Wars Wash Up At Jersey Shore This Summer

The periwinkle-blue blob that’s washing up on Jersey Shore beaches is colorful...and dangerous...and becoming a lot more common.

More and more of the jellyfish-like sea animal have been washing up on New Jersey beaches this summer, causing a bit of alarm for beachgoers and local officials who don’t think the multicolor fish is pretty.

On Saturday, Surf City Councilman Peter Hartney told nj.com that more than 24 man-of-wars washed up on his town’s beaches in Long Beach Island.

The Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol also found a Portuguese man o’ war washed up on the beach recently, according to the patrol’s Facebook page.

“When the wind is coming from the northeast, warm water from the Gulf Stream comes to shore,” the post states. “With the warm water, often comes seaweed and critters from down south. Always be aware of your surroundings in the ocean and always swim near a lifeguard.”

Portuguese Man O’ Wars are covered with venom-filled nematocysts that can paralyze fish and other small creatures, according to Nationalgeographic.com

“For humans, a man-of-war sting is excruciatingly painful, but rarely deadly,” according to the website. “But beware—even dead man-of-wars washed up on shore can deliver a sting.”

On Sunday, Ann Delaney of Stone Harbor resident told nj.com she found a Portuguese man-of-war on the beach after mistaking it for a piece of trash.

In the report, she said:

“I walk (the beach) every morning and I usually pick up plastic, and I thought it was a colorful Ziplock bag ... I remember reading a post about the man-of-war found on Long Beach Island ... I realized that it could be that. So I didn’t touch it. I touched it with my shoe but I didn’t pick it up.”

Hartney warned beachgoers in the report not to touch the man-of-wars, even if they look dead.

“The tentacles can sting long after the man-of-war dies,” Hartney told nj.com