Jellyfish bloom in Kerteminde Fjord. Photo:Euronews/The European Commission

Euronews OCEAN – Jellyfish boom — threat or treasure?

EUROPEAN UNION
Monday, August 05, 2024, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

The following is an excerpt from an article published by EuroNews:

While jellyfish blooms can be problematic, researchers believe a sustainable use for this gelatinous plankton can be found.

Kerteminde is a charming harbour town in Central Denmark with a stunning fjord surrounded by fields, hills, and forests.

It’s a haven for marine wildlife, but scientists from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) are intrigued by one mysterious species - jellyfish.

The species is booming just beneath the surface of the water, where this group of scientists jump into. In their snorkelling dive, they observe the jellyfish and collect samples.

These sea jellies aren't very stingy, but their biomass here is so dense it harms other species.

Massive jellyfish blooms

Around the world, jellyfish sting tourists, clog fishing nets, and block water pipelines.

There are even fears that they might replace all other sea species.

But Jamileh Javidpour, who has been studying jellyfish for over 20 years, says we don't know enough yet to make such predictions.

“Apocalyptic scenarios of jellyfish bloom are existing, and there are partly true stories because the presence of jellyfish might affect the entire ecosystem,” explains Jamileh Javidpour, associate professor at SDU.

“However, changes in the entire population need a kind of holistic view — what is the effect of other populations that are connected to this player of the food web together? So we need a kind of adaptive view to jellyfish bloom, which is still not existing.”

Back on the boat, scientists sample water characteristics and use a dip net to collect more jellyfish samples.

Researchers monitored water temperatures, salinity, and other factors to better understand the causes of jellyfish blooms.

Thriving amid overfishing

It appears jellyfish thrive due to overfishing, which removes their predators and competitors, and agricultural runoff that depletes oxygen in the water.

Jellyfish mucus collected in the SDU lab. Photo: Euronews

Unlike other species, jellyfish aren’t bothered by low oxygen levels.

While jellyfish blooms can be problematic, researchers believe a sustainable use for this gelatinous plankton can be found.

For instance, jellyfish could provide an alternative source of collagen for cosmetics. They are also great at capturing microplastic particles, which can help clean the oceans.

Microplastic particles trapped in jellyfish mucus. Photo: Euronews

Jamileh Javidpour coordinated the GoJelly project, funded by the European Union. The project came up with a method to use jellyfish mucus, either natural or synthetic, to filter wastewater before it reaches the ocean.

“They take up particles very actively, capture these particles, and pack them in a biological mucus filter to get rid of them," says Javidpour.

"And that is a pattern that we can learn from nature to come up with natural solutions.”

Possible uses for sea jellies are numerous

In Italy’s southern Apulia region, researchers at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production in Lecce are experimenting with turning jellyfish into plant fertiliser.

They start with frozen sea jellies and use vacuum drying to convert them into white powder.

Besides salts, this powder contains valuable amino acids, minerals and other nutrients present in jellyfish that can be readily absorbed by plants.

Experiments show that plants grow better on jellyfish nutrients compared to a substrate with just salts.

According to Stefania De Domenico, Functional food researcher, CNR-ISPA, there is a clear difference in plant growth.

"This one is more lush, compared to the control sample, which has the same concentration of salts, but plants there are much more stressed and therefore drier.” [cotinues...]

Author: Denis Loctier/EuroNews/The European Commission | Read the full article by clicking the link here

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