Illustration of a physalie on the Porge beach near Bordeaux in 2011. -
Jean-Pierre Muller / AFP
Swimming is prohibited until further notice in Plougasnou.
Well, that shouldn't offend a lot of people this December.
But the municipality of North Finistère is no joke.
Its mayor has just published an order to prohibit swimming and access to water on all the beaches of the town.
The reason ?
The massive arrival of physalies on the entire coast of Plougasnou, "especially on the beach of Guerzit", specifies the municipality.
This zooplankton organism, cousin of the jellyfish, is very stinging and represents a danger for humans.
She normally lives in tropical seas but is sometimes pushed to the Brittany coast by storms.
This is not the first time that beaches have been closed due to their presence.
It is strongly recommended not to handle them.
Even when stranded, physalies, elegantly nicknamed “sea bladder”, are poisonous.
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