Abstract
Jellyfish has been captured in Asia for 1700 years, and it has been considered a delicacy. Since the 70s important jellyfish fisheries have developed in several parts of the world, with catches increasing exponentially, reaching 500,000 tons per year in the mid-nineties. In Mexico, only the cannonball jellyfish Stomolophus meleagris is captured commercially. Most of the capture of this jellyfish species is obtained within the Gulf of California, specifically in the state of Sonora. The total reported capture in 2010 was 16,581 metric t and 14,220 in 2011. With these capture volumes jellyfish was ranked as the third most important fishing resource in the state of Sonora. The fishing season in Sonora is from April to May; a total of 4 or 5 weeks, and the catch per unit effort is around 3 tons by trip. Currently, there are nine jellyfish marketing companies, with about 20 processing plants distributed along the coast of Sonora, primarily in Guaymas, Kino Bay, and Puerto Penasco. Although the process is simple, the large amounts of jellyfish required and the need to optimize production costs make jellyfish processing an intense activity that employs hundreds of people during the fishing season, becoming an alternative employment for the people who depend on the fishing industry.
Highlights
Jellyfish belongs to phylum cnidaria that includes hydra, anemones, and corals
In Mexico, only the cannonball jellyfish is used commercially, and it had been recorded by Mexican scientists since the late 70s, in general very little is known about the species in national waters
Most of the capture of the cannonball jellyfish in Mexico is obtained within the Gulf of California, off the state of Sonora; the catch of jellyfish reported in the central-southern part of the state was 8,909 mt, which is less than that obtained in 2010 (16,581 mt) and 2011 (14,220 mt) (Figure 4)
Summary
Jellyfish belongs to phylum cnidaria that includes hydra, anemones, and corals They are organisms that can be seen swimming in the sea surface, and are popularly known as “aguamala” (bad-water) in Mexico Sonora in the Gulf of California to Ecuador, in South America It is identifiable by its ball-shaped ( known as bulb and mushroom jellyfish) and blue color there are white and brown varieties. Cannonball jellyfish feed on zooplankton (eggs, larvae, juveniles, and adults of various marine species) It is a voracious predator [6] species with two stages in its life cycle, one as a jellyfish (observed directly under the sea surface), and the other one as a polyp (inhabiting the sea bottom) [7]. The two main parts of the jellyfish, manubrium and bell, have a very similar constitution, but they are processed and marketed separately
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