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Home , Aurelia aurita, Cephea, Chrysaora colorata, Chrysaora fuscescens, Cotylorhiza tuberculata, Netrostoma

The Rise of Sustainability in Public Displays: Achieving Surplus and Expanding Possibilities M. Schaadt1, Widmer, C. 2, Howard, M.J. 3, Upton, B.3, Matsushige, L. 4, Levesque, V. 4 1 Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro, CA, USA; 2 University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK; 3Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA, USA; 4 Birch Aquarium at Scripps, La Jolla, CA, USA. 1 Jellyfish in Exhibits Jellyfish have become common to display in aquariums and zoos all over the world. Live exhibits of jellyfish have provided examples of , a heretofore underrepresented group of aquatic organisms in public displays. As the variety of jellyfish species displayed has increased so has their popularity with visitors. Further indication of the interest in live jellyfish exhibits is the number of large temporary exhibits that have opened over the years. Many temporary exhibits have resulted in aquariums learning new culturing techniques which become permanent standard operating procedures and are incorporated into permanent exhibits.

E A

D

C B

Black sea nettle achlyos Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

General life cycle of jellyfish belonging to the class . Mature moon jellies, Culture Start Primer – Scyphozoans – aurita (A), release tiny free swimming planulae larvae (B) that settle and 1) Snip a 1cm2 piece of gonad from about 6 individuals (to identify gender, take a tiny bit from each sample and squash metamorphose into scyphistomae (C). When environmental conditions change scyphistomae mount. At 400x one should see motile sperm or metamorphose into medusae producing polyps known as strobilae (D), that develop and eggs). 2) Place samples in an 8" glass crystallization dish (or equivalent) filled release ephyrae (E) which eventually grow into mature medusae (A). with highly filtered water (5 micron or less). Bunch them together to facilitate ‘happy encounters’. 3) Leave overnight in water bath. 2 4) Check for planulae next morning (there should be plenty if gonads are ripe). Culture and Sharing 5) Leaving gonad tissue undisturbed, siphon off most of the water into a larger 'settlement' container with lots of settling plate Aquariums and zoos have intensified efforts to culture jellyfish for displays and to share surplus jellyfish with options (floating, hanging, on bottom, etc). 6) Refill gonad dish with filtered water, add a small portion of filtered other institutions. Recent manuals and books have been published to help aquarium professionals give the water to settlement container. best care to jellyfish in live exhibits. From a sustainability point of view, more productive culturing efforts have 7) Repeat steps 4-6 the next 3 days. resulted in greater availability for cultured specimens to be shared among public institutions. This often Planulae settlement for many scyphozoans will occur in 24-48 hours, and primary tentacles should be observed by 72 hours. Crown jelly results in more robust and densely populated exhibits while lessening impacts to wild stock. Place on flow through and feed enriched in 1 cephea week. Monterey Bay Aquarium Communication 3 Communication amongst aquariums, zoos and the scientific community, who also sometimes rely on using cultured jellyfish for research, has become easier with listserves dedicated to jellyfish husbandry and biology. 4 Jellies Directory A listing of folks working with gelatinous at public aquariums & research labs Anyone wishing to be included should contact Mike Schaadt, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Version 6/26/12 Jellyfish and Climate Change (S) = scyphozoan medusa (Cu) = cubomedusa (H) = hydrozoan medusa (Si) = siphonophore (C) = ctenophore Note: spelling of scientific names is based upon: Jellyfish ecology has implications to climate change and Kramp, P.L. 1952. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 40: 1-469. other timely conservation messages which are subjects Russell, F. S. 1964. The medusae of the British Isles. II. Pelagic Scyphozoa. Cambridge Univ. Press, London, 284 pp.

Jellyfish Care Manual Mike Schaadt Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Director incorporated into many jellyfish exhibits. 3720 Stephen White Dr. San Pedro CA 90731 Ph: 310-548-2995 FAX: 310-548-2649 [email protected] Display: Aurelia aurita (S), (S), Chrysaora colorata (S), Chrysaora fuscescens (S), Chrysaora achlyos (S), Polyorchis penicillatus (H) [seasonal], (H), Carybdea marsupialis (Cu) [seasonal] Culture: Aurelia aurita (S), Aurelia labiata (S), Chrysaora colorata (S), Chrysaora achlyos (S), Chrysaora fuscescens (S) Tanks: planktonkreisel, pseudokreisels, modified box

Bruce Upton Monterey Bay Aquarium Aquarist Michael Howard [email protected] Wyatt Patry [email protected] 886 Cannery Row Monterey CA 93940 Ph: 831-648-7936 FAX: 831-644-7597 [email protected] 5 Display: Catostylus mosaicus(S), (S), Chrysaora achlyos(S), Chrysaora melanaster(S), Cassiopea xamachana(S), Mastigias papua(S), Polyorchis spp (H), Olindias formosa (H), Halimedusa typus (H), Mnemiopsis leidyi(C), Tripedalia cystophora (Cu), Pleurobrachia bachei (C), Bolinopsis infundibulum (C), Leucothea pulchra (C), Beroe spp (C) Future Directions Jellyfish Care Manual Culture: Catostylus mosaicus(S), Chrysaora achlyos(S), Chrysaora melanaster(S), Chrysaora quinquecirrha (S), Future direction for sustainability of efforts in displaying Created by the Cassiopea xamachana(S), Mastigias papua(S), Chrysaora fuscescens (S), Chrysaora colorata (S), Phacellophora camtschatica (S), Cyanea spp (S), Aurelia spp (S), tuberculata (S), Stomolophus meleagris (S), jellyfish to the public should focus on improving: AZA Aquatic Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group Sanderia malayensis (S), Mastigias papua (S), (S), setouchianum (S), Aurelia in Association with the aurita (S) (Hawaii), Phyllorhiza punctata (S), Aequorea spp (H), Eutonina indicans (H), Mitrocoma cellularia (H), understanding of life histories, nutrition, veterinary care, Halimedusa typus (H), Tripedalia cystophora (Cu) AZA Welfare Committee Tanks: planktonkreisels, pseudokreisels, modified boxes culture techniques, display tank and culturing facility

Leslee Matsushige Birch Aquarium at Scripps Aquarist designs and communication amongst institutions. In Vincent Levesque addition, more timely conservation messages should be Jellyfish Listserve 9500 Gilman Dr. -0207 La Jolla CA 92093-0207 incorporated in exhibits such as how jellyfish blooms Jellyfish -- Jellyfish OPEN About Jellyfish English (USA) THIS LIST IS OPEN TO NEW SUBSCRIBERS affect the sustainable management of fisheries. To see the collection of prior postings to the list, visit the Jellyfish Archives. Using JellyfishTo post a message to all the list members, send email to [email protected]. You can subscribe to the list, or change your existing subscription, in the sections below. listserve Subscribing to JellyfishSubscribe to Jellyfish by filling out the following form. moderated by Dr. R. Steele at University of California, Irvine, USA You will be notified of the moderator's decision by email. This is also a private list, which means that http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/cnidaria the list of members is not available to non-members. Your email address: Your name (optional): You may enter a privacy password below. Jellyfish Subscribers(The subscribers list is only available to the list members.) Enter your address and password to visit the subscribers list: Take Home Messages 6 ○ Jellyfish exhibits have been and continue to be popular with visitors. ○ Most aquariums that culture jellyfish for their displays also share surplus with other aquariums. ○ Communication amongst jellyfish specialists at aquariums has been fruitful and more is needed in the future. Funding gratefully provided by ○ Jellyfish exhibits can include climate change discussions. FRIENDS of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium ○ Sustainability of jellyfish exhibits can be strengthened in the future by new advances in husbandry, culture and communication.

Correspondence: Mike Schaadt, [email protected]