Overview

• Specimens have been sighted since July 24 at Zurriola, Bakio, Laga and Ondarreta beaches following earlier strandings in Galicia and Asturias.
• Two bathers received mild stings at Ondarreta and two others at Bakio, leading authorities to hoist red and yellow warning flags.
• Lifeguards and vessel patrols are actively removing Portuguese man o’ war and administering first aid without imposing any beach closures.
• Experts link the seasonal northward expansion of these colonial organisms to rising Cantabrian Sea temperatures and shifting currents driven by climate change.
• Regional research institutions are studying live specimens while authorities advise bathers to avoid contact and follow standardized medical protocols for tentacle stings.