Jellyfish as products and problems of aquaculture

Purcell, Western Washington University, USA, E. J. Baxter, Vet-Aqua International, Ireland and Y. L. Fnentes, Institnto de Ciendas del Mar (CSIC), Spain 

Key words jellyfish blooms, fish farming, fouling, public aquaria, jellyfish stings. 

Jellyfish present both opportunities and challenges for the aquaculture industry. They can produce economic gains or losses. In the first section, we review the fisheries and culture of jellyfish for human food, multi-miUion-dollar industries with markets currently centered in Asia. Interest in jellyfish has increased around the world in recent decades, both for public aquarium exhibition, where they offer economic and educational opportunities, and for scientific study, because the problems jellyfish cause have increased in coastal waters. Thus, in the second section, we present guidelines for culture conditions and tank construction for display or study of 27 jellyfish species. Although some jellyfish species benefit human health and economics, most are considered to be harmful, resulting in many millions of dollars in costs annually. Human problems with jellyfish include stinging and the costs associated with prevention, treatment, and loss of tourism. 

2 Jellyfish as human food, their fisheries and aquaculture 

The Chinese have harvested jellyfish for 1700 years (Omori and Nakano, 2001). Jellyfish are popular foods in Chinese and Japanese cooking, and also are known for their medicinal benefits for high blood pressure, bronchitis, and arthritis (Hsieh et al, 2001). Usually only the swimming bell is processed, although the oral arms are also used for some species. Jellyfish are processed with a mixture of salt and alum, and the semi-dried products are marketed, almost exclusively to China, Korea, and Japan. 

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