Abstract
Among the edible species, jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum, is one of the most abundant and important fishery species in China. The jellyfish fishery is characterized by considerable fluctuations in catch and a very short fishing season. In this article, we first review the research results on the biology of R. esculentum, which previously were published in Chinese, as related to the jellyfish enhancement and fishery. Next, we review results from enhancement experiments conducted from 1984 to 2004, with the aims of stabilizing and increasing catch. During 2005 and 2006, stock enhancement of R. esculentum was carried out on a large scale for the first time in Liaodong Bay, China, where 414 million juvenile jellyfish (umbrella diameter > 1 cm) were released. We present results of these enhancements, including the survey methods, catch prediction, enhancement assessment, and fishery management. In 2005 and 2006, the recapture rate of released jellyfish was 3.0 and 3.2%, respectively. The fishermen earned ¥ 159 million during the 2 years. The ratio of the input (cost of culturing juvenile jellyfish) to the output (value of the sales) was about 1:18. The high commercial value of R. esculentum enhancement in Liaodong Bay makes this a very successful enterprise.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
References
Chen, J.-K., 1985. Cultivation and utilization of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye. Ocean Press, Beijing (in Chinese).
Chen, J.-K. & G.-W. Ding, 1983. Effect of temperature on the strobilation of jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye, Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae). Acta Zoologica Sinica 3: 195–205 (in Chinese).
Chen, J.-K., G.-W. Ding & C.-Y. Liu, 1984. Effect of light on the strobilation of jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye). Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 4: 310–316 (in Chinese).
Chen, J.-K., N. Lu & C.-Y. Liu, 1994. Resource enhancement experiments in the edible medusae (Rhopilema esculentum) in the coastal waters of northern Yellow Sea. Marine Fisheries Research 15: 103–113 (in Chinese).
Ding, G.-W. & J.-K. Chen, 1981. The life history of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye. Journal of Fisheries of China 5: 93–104 (in Chinese).
Guo, P., 1990. Effect of nutritional condition on the formation and germination of the podocyst of scyphistomae of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye. Journal of Fisheries of China 3: 206–211 (in Chinese).
Guo, P., C.-Y. Liu & N. Lu, 1987. Food of early larvae of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye. Fisheries Science 3: 10–13 (in Chinese).
Hsieh, Y.-H. P., F.-M. Leong & J. Rudloe, 2001. Jellyfish as food. Hydrobiologia 451(Developments in Hydrobiology 155): 11–17.
Li, P.-J., H.-Y. Liu & W.-B. Wang, 1989. Study on predicting catch of jellyfish in Liaodong Bay and predicting catch in advance. Fisheries Science 1: 1–4 (in Chinese).
Li, P.-J., K.-F. Tan & C.-C. Ye, 1988. Growth pattern and characteristics of edible jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) in Liaodong Bay. Journal of Fisheries of China 3: 243–249 (in Chinese).
Li, J.-J., B.-T. Zhang & J.-M. Liu, 2004. Ranching of Rhopilema esculentum in coastal Dandong. Fisheries Science 7: 34–35 (in Chinese).
Lu, N., C.-Y. Liu & P. Guo, 1989. Effect of salinity on larva of edible medusae (Rhopilema esculentum) at different development phases and a review on the cause of jellyfish resources falling greatly in Liaodong Bay. Acta Ecologica Sinica 4: 304–309 (in Chinese).
Lu, N., J. Shuang & J.-K. Chen, 1995. Effect of temperature and food abundance on the growth of jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye). Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 2: 186–190 (in Chinese).
Lu, N., J. Shuang & J.-K. Chen, 1997. Effect of temperature, salinity and light on the podocyst generation of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye. Fisheries Science 1: 3–8 (in Chinese).
Morikawa, T., 1984. Jellyfish. FAO INFOFISH Marketing Digest 1: 37–39.
Omori, M. & E. Nakano, 2001. Jellyfish fisheries in southeast Asia. Hydrobiologia 451(Developments in Hydrobiology 155): 19–26.
Wang, J.-F. & S.-L. Yu, 2002. Review and proposal on enhancement and releasing of Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye in the coastal waters of Liaoning Province. Modern Fisheries Information 8: 17–18 (in Chinese).
Ye, C.-C., J. Dong & H.-L. Jiang, 2006. Study on selecting releasing species. Fisheries Science 9: 483–484 (in Chinese).
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the following people for their contributions to this article: Chu-yang Liu, Bin Wang, and Ming Sun. Especially, we mourn the loss of Prof. Jie-kang Chen and Prof. Geng-wu Ding who contributed their lives to jellyfish research. We are grateful to Dr. Mary Arai who encouraged publication of our research in English. Many thanks to Kylie Pitt for her efforts to enable Jing Dong to present this article at the Second International Jellyfish Bloom Symposium in Australia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Guest editors: K. A. Pitt & J. E. Purcell
Jellyfish Blooms: Causes, Consequences, and Recent Advances
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dong, J., Jiang, Lx., Tan, Kf. et al. Stock enhancement of the edible jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye) in Liaodong Bay, China: a review. Hydrobiologia 616, 113–118 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9592-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9592-9
Keywords
- Fisheries
- Aquaculture
- Management