Demand for jellyfish aids state shrimpers

Somewhere in China right now, there's a cannonball jellyfish from the waters off Florida's Panhandle about to be eaten.

[abcxyz]

Another example of the gold rush mentality of commercial “fishing�.

The fishermen and the agencies that regulate the resource have no idea what role the jellyfish play in the Gulf’s ecosystem, yet the fishermen are allowed to harvest this resource without limit. What do the jellyfish eat and when thousands of tons of jellyfish are removed form the Gulf, what species will grow unchecked without predation? The species that feed on jellyfish will suffer when their numbers decline.

Commercial fishing has a long history of moving from one species to another and in the process depleting the public’s resources to unsustainable levels and then demanding the taxpayers bail them out of their self made hole.

[James Bronson]

As Asia comes onto the global market in force, stranger and stranger things will become cash commodities abroad. If you think it is strange that they buy jellyfish protein wafers, just wait until they learn that mermaid schoolgirls wear undergarments.

[Wanderer]

The populations of jellyfish worldwide have been increasing because of global warming. As ocean waters get warmer (and whatever questions you might have about the cause, the increased water temperatures are a recorded fact) there are more jellyfish, a LOT more jellyfish, and some species are in places that they haven't been seen before (the Mediterranean jellyfish that wiped out a fish farm in the UK, for instance).

Sure, more research would be better (especially since one of their predators is an endangered sea turtle), but it's a fair bet that the Gulf can support the fishing of a LOT of jellyfish.

[dunedin steve]

"Ummm-mm. Everything's better when it sits on a ..." Smelly-ass jellyfish cracker!!

[MeAgain]

So now the billionality of the Asian community is harvesting jellyfish for food?

When can we all start saying,
"Soylent green is people!!"

[Let Them Eat JellyFish]

I think it's great that the Chinese want our jellyfish. I think we can learn something from them. And hey, it's nice that we're exporting vs importing for a change.

[disgusted]

Well here goes another marine species that will be over fished by the commercial sector.Remember gill nets.does the word BYCATCH ring a bell.Remember how the commercial guys had to keep shrinking the size of the mesh to keep up the quota. No one wanted to admit that the mesh size had to shrink because the fish were not allowed to mature.Com mercial fisherman and their lobbyists and crooked politicians will never ever learn

[dan]

So now you really can have a peanut butter v
and jellyfish... Wow, whats next ?

[Melancholy Voter]

If I recall correctly, Leatherback sea turtles eat a diet of primarily cannonball jellyfish.

Maybe the Asian fishermen can teach us their whaling methods while they are at it.

It's not that I have a problem with harvesting a reasonable amount of surplus jellyfish. But commercial fishing and Asian food demands have already imapacted other animals like sea urchins, tuna, whales, etc. So to just harvest jellyfish by the boatload without knowing anything about them is risky for the long-term.

But that what fishing has become as industry: overfish a species until the population collapses and then move on to another species.

[Gooffy]

If the turtles eat jellyfish, then then they must be catching lots of turtles when they bring up the net. ;-D

[arr]

BYAAAH!

[Geminate]

Good, let them eat what most of the rest of the world will not. Who cares if they eat them all? No one else is willing to eat these creatures. Let them eat everything in the oceans, who cares.

Please eat more sharks, I hate sharks.

[TomFLL]

They'll eat anything over there including dogs and cats.

[Sue Donna Moss]

I'm reminded of HRH Prince Philip, who once said, "If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has two wings and it flies but is not an aeroplane, and if it swims and it is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it."

[The laughing liberal]

James Bronson wrote:

As Asia comes onto the global market in force, stranger and stranger things will become cash commodities abroad. If you think it is strange that they buy jellyfish protein wafers, just wait until they learn that mermaid schoolgirls wear undergarments.

LMAO!

[Bubba from Tenn]

Peanut Butter Jelly Fish, Peanut Butter Jelly Fish, Peanut Butter Jelly fish time

[trippininsanely]

Any Gulf of Mexico Shrimpers out there??? Tell us how it is done, equip, regulations, processing, shipping, etc.

Thanks,

Ti

[trippininsanely]

Found some info on the CB Jellies:

CANNONBALL JELLYFISH
Unlike typical jellyfish the cannonball is a strong swimmer with a compact, solid body and few stinging tentacles. The Latin name for the cannonball, Stomolophus meleagris, is very descriptive of its lifestyle and means "many mouthed hunter." The cannonball feeds and swims by pumping water with a gelatinous bell over the sticky folds of its arms trapping larval stages of oysters, clams, and a variety of crustaceans. This sticky mucus is passed to numerous openings among the arms that lead to its mouth. It is abundant along Florida's northern Gulf of Mexico and off the northern Atlantic Coast, occurring in groups of millions.



The cannonball has great potential value as a food item in the world market. The most important fact about the protein in the cannonball jellyfish is the collagen it contains. Our bodies need collagen to build cell tissue, cartilage, teeth and bones. Scientific research continues on collagen and its medical potential. For over a thousand years, Asians have been eating jellyfish for medicinal reasons to treat high blood pressure, arthritis, bronchitis and other diseases. The cannonball jellyfish is an ideal diet food because it is low in fat, cholesterol and calories.

Jellyfish are most efficiently caught with surface trawls. Because they spoil quickly, processing must occur immediately after harvest. Jellyfish are mostly water and must be dehydrated to obtain products of desirable structure and texture. Processing involves a step-wise reduction of water by salting and draining many times. Once the process is complete, dried jellyfish can be safely stored for many weeks.

JELLYFISH ATTRIBUTES
Processed jellyfish (sold only in processed form): Tender, crunchy and elastic texture.

HOW MUCH TO BUY
Generally jellyfish can be added to salads or prepared vegetables. Amount is determined by personal preference.

BUYING, STORAGE AND HANDLING
• Immediately after harvesting through a salting and dehydration method jellyfish is processed. It is sold in this dehydrated form.
• In the United States you can buy jellyfish in Asian specialty markets
• Store in the refrigerator.

PREPARATION
• Soak the dehydrated jellyfish overnight in the refrigerator, drain and rinse. Cut the jellyfish into thin strips and quickly blanch. Marinate in seasoning of your choice, and then add to salads or vegetables.
• Keep raw and cooked seafood separate to prevent bacterial cross-contamination.
• After handling raw seafood thoroughly wash knives, cutting surfaces, sponges and your hands with hot soapy water.
• Always marinate seafood in the refrigerator.
• Discard marinade; it contains raw juices which may harbor bacteria.
• When marinade is needed for basting reserve a portion before adding raw seafood.

COOKING
To prepare processed (dried) jellyfish, soak in water overnight in the refrigerator, drain and rinse. Cut into thin strips and quickly blanch in boiling water. Marinate in a mixture of seasonings and add to vegetables or salads.

NUTRITION
Nutritional values for approximately 4 ounces (114 grams) of raw, edible portions
Calories 30
Calories From Fat 0
Total Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 120 mg
Total Carbohydrates 0 g
Protein 8 g

[trippininsanely]

Processing CB Jellies:

The water content of the jellyfish is removed using alum and salt. Sixty kg of fresh jellyfish is soaked in brine solution (3 kg of alum and 37 kg of salt in 100 liters of water) and left in the canvas/concrete tank for four to five days.

The salted jellyfish is then transferred to another tank/container with a fresh mixture of salt and smaller amount of alum for three consecutive times before draining them.

Soda is added to the brine solution during the final curing of jellyfish. They are then piled, left to dry on a draining rack at room temperature for two to three days, and turned upside down several times to drain the excess water.

Salt-dried jellyfish has a crunchy and crispy texture with a storage life of one year at room temperature. Its price depends on the quality, a combination of tender, elastic and fresh texture and creamy-white products. A whiter product has a higher retail value than a yellowish product. A brownish product is unacceptable.