Despite the recent bad weather, the Spot the Jellyfish campaign, started two years ago, still registers a steady trickle of online reports of gelatinous species in our waters, mainly by divers, fishermen and beachgoers.
Recording non-occurrences of jellyfish is important for scientific purposes
The reports submitted to the citizen science database between October and January represented mainly five kinds of sightings: (i) the common mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca), which normally reproduces during this time of the year, in significantly lower numbers than the previous year; (ii) long colonies of salps; (iii) graceful pyrosomes (both salps and pyrosomes are evolutionally more advanced than jellyfish); (iv) isolated sightings of the stinging box jellyfish (Carybdea marsupialis) and, (v) on one occasion at Ġnejna, a large gelatinous accumulation, which could potentially represent a cephalopod (molluscs such as squid, cuttlefish and octopus) egg mass.
This year again, the International Ocean Institute – Malta Operational Centre (IOI-MOC) at the University of Malta is revamping the interpretation posters put up at different coastal sites and the user-friendly website to make it possible for participants to register also the non-occurrence of jellyfish.
Alan Deidun, one of those responsible for the initiative, stated that these updates were in response to suggestions made by the public last summer. He also explained that recording non-occurrences of jellyfish is important for scientific purposes. Jellyfish also hit the headlines for sensational purposes, while their non-occurrence is seldom publicised.
The geo-referenced function of the initiative, which allows users to see the geographical distribution of the jellyfish sightings being recorded in real time, has also been improved, along with the educational component of the website, with information on individual jellyfish species and on useful related internet links being included.
The winning entries for last year’s jellyfish photography competition, organised in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa, have been included in the website. The Malta Tourism Authority is again supporting the initiative.
The Spot the Jellyfish initiative is co-ordinated by Aldo Drago, Dr Deidun and staff of IOI-MOC, and also enjoys the support of Nature Trust, Friends of the Earth, EkoSkola, the BlueFlag Malta programme and Sharklab.
The campaign is an IOI-Kids Programme initiative, which follows a citizen science approach and relies on the collaboration of the public, mariners, divers, and especially youngsters through their teachers and parents, by recruiting their help in recording the presence and location of different jellyfish by using a dedicated reporting leaflet.
The leaflet is being distributed, and can be directly downloaded from www.ioikids.net/jellyfish. With the support of MTA, large posters have furthermore been put up along major bays.
The reporting is done by simply matching the sighted jellyfish with a simple visual identification guide, giving the date and time of the sighting, and indicating the number of jellies seen.
Sightings can be also reported online or submitted through an SMS on 7922 2278, or by e-mailing ioi-moc@um.edu.mt.
Strange jellyfish not included on the leaflet should be caught and kept in a bucket of seawater before contacting IOI-MOC staff to identify the species. If this is not possible, photos of the jellyfish should be taken.