St. Johns River Water Management District

News Release

nr09-040

Public encouraged to report invasive jellyfish in lagoon

PALM BAY, Fla., June 17, 2009 - Officials are asking for the public's help in reporting sightings of an exotic invader that has returned to the Indian River Lagoon.

The Australian spotted jellyfish, which made its first appearance in the lagoon's waters in 2001, has returned, according to biologists with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program (IRLNEP).

"About a dozen sightings have been reported in the Melbourne and north Melbourne area so far," said IRLNEP Biologist Robert Day. "At this point, we're early on in our information gathering. Any information the public can provide can help us determine the size of the spotted jelly population in the estuary."

The spotted "jellies," Phyllorhiza punctata, made headlines several years ago when they appeared in the Gulf of Mexico, causing problems in the nets of shrimp boats, and consuming huge numbers of fish eggs, larvae, and other microzooplankton near the mouth of the Mississippi River and in the estuary of Mobile Bay. On the East Coast, they were recently documented as far north as North Carolina.

The size of these jellyfish range from the size of a human fist to as large as a basketball. They have white, semi-transparent to opaque bell shapes, with white spots on the bell. Frilly oral arms extending beneath the bell can release a mildly painful sting to humans.

Day noted that spotted jellies can sometimes be mistaken for other species native to the lagoon, including the transparent moon jellyfish and the cannonball jellyfish, roughly the size of a melon and milky in color.

Native to the Indo-Pacific region, the Australian spotted jellyfish is considered an invasive species in the United States. They are voracious predators, filtering more than 260,000 gallons of water daily, and could potentially consume large numbers of fish eggs and microzooplankton in the lagoon.

The public is urged to contact the Indian River Lagoon Program office at (321) 984-4950 to report possible Australian jellyfish sightings. In reporting possible sightings, the public is encouraged to document the location, date and time of the sighting, as well as the number of jellyfish seen. Photographs are also helpful.

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