April 26, 2010 after 16 days of Atlantic crossing we pass the famous Straits of Gibraltar, the borderline between two worlds and two different ways of living. We move away from the Caribbean with its quiet way of life where nobody is in rush, where the first things that you see from people are the white of their smiles and where even the rain is not called that but just “liquid sunshine.” You are wet … 5 minutes and again dry.

Then we get into the Mediterranean Sea. Despite to the small surface of less than 1 percent of the total area cover by oceans, in this small sea we can find an incredible biodiversity, this water is rich in invertebrates, vertebrates and algae as much as certain tropical areas. Unfortunately, the fact that the exchange of water is limited to the small Gibraltar strait, just 15 kilometers wide, and Suez or Dardanelle straits if something happens inside … it remains inside. Pollution and overfishing are rising problems.

I write again to Professor Ferdinado Boero from University of Salento in Lecce, Puglia — the region in the famous heel of Italy. He is the Italian responsible for the project “Watch for Jellies” that is part of the International CIESM Jellywatch Programme (www.ciesm.org).

The project is focused on the study of the increasing of number of jelly fish in the Mediterranean sea, a modern plague basically due to overfishing, pollution and climate changes. In the healthy ecosystem small fish keep the jellyfish population in check by eating their young. Deplete the waters of top predators like tunas and sharks and catching moon fish and sea turtle is the first step to creating an unbalance in the ecosystem.

We had the first contact on the 5th of May around 9:30 UTC between Mallorca and Menorca Island in the Balearic archipelago 41° 39’ N and 7° 14’ E with floating Physalia, or better known as the Portuguese Man-of-War. These organisms travels in large groups on the surface of the sea, resembling brightly colored balloons floating on the water. Their appearance belies a painful secret under the water’s surface — tentacles that sting and inject poison. The poison is deadly to the many sea creatures that provide sustenance to the Man-of-War. Although not lethal to humans, bathers who are stung suffer greatly. The Man-of-War’s poison is a neurotoxin. Its effects on the nervous system can lead to a drop in blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, a weak pulse, and sometimes unconsciousness or a coma.

Portuguese Man-of-War. Photo from the Australian Museum.

During a dive two days later on May 7th in Portoferraio, Elba Island, Tuscan’s archipelago — more specifically close to the Scoglietto dive site — in the entrance of the gulf, 42° 50’ N and 11° 20’ E, on the surface after 35 minutes swimming into Posidonia Oceanica Meadows (seagrass), before jumping back into the Zodiac this time we have a meeting with relatively small Pelagia Noctiluca (5-8 centimeters in diameter) in a long bank more than 50 meters. The water during the dive was 17° C.

Pelagia Noctiluca.

Hopefully this information will be helpful for Professor Boero to better understand what’s go on with our carelessness now and in the close future.

Take care!

Dr. Mariano Peruzzo is Royal Clipper’s resident marine biologist.