Stranding of blue button jelly Porpita porpita on the beaches of Visakhapatnam, India (Western Bay of Bengal)

Abstract

Porpita porpita occurs in the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and the mass numbers of stranded colonies seem to be increasing. Although its presence in Indian waters is minimal, this is the first record ever made of P. porpita in Visakhapatnam coastal waters. The present study provided a detailed description of the species and its global distribution. Further, the perceived increase in gelatinous zooplankton blooms in the observed area indicates that jellyfish can negatively affect fisheries because they compete with zooplanktivorous fish, prey upon fish eggs and larvae, and indirectly compete with higher trophic levels by reducing the plankton available to planktivores. Conversely, jellyfishes also play a vital role in regulating global marine plankton food webs, spatio-temporal dynamics, and biomass, which is a role that has been generally neglected so far.