The beach of Es Comu in Playa de Muro has been chosen for a national pilot scheme to use anti-jellyfish barriers. These are essentially like swimming pools of some 25 metres square made out of high density polyethylene and rigid floats of the same material. They let the sea water flow but not the jellyfish.
The pool was placed in the sea on Thursday and a process of observation - to assess effectiveness - commenced yesterday. Carlos Iglesias of the company Subcontrol, which manufactures these barriers, says that once the assessment has been done and proven to be positive, town halls would be able to create zones that are safe for bathers. In effect, there would be stretches of sea that form a U-shape in the water and which would be free of jellyfish.
Playa de Muro was chosen for the test as it is representative of tourism at both national and international levels. Before undertaking the test, permission was needed from the Council of Majorca and the Costas Authority; they both gave the go-ahead. Iglesias adds that hoteliers have expressed their interest in the project as well as town halls.