Researchers from MU identify edible species of jellyfish on Mumbai shores

Researchers from the department of life sciences of the University of Mumbai (MU) have identified an edible species of jellyfish that washes ashore the coast of Mumbai

Researchers from the department of life sciences of the University of Mumbai (MU) have identified an edible species of jellyfish that washes ashore the coast of Mumbai. This is the first time that an edible species has been identified through a modern technique in India that is documented.

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Romil Dagha and Komal Kumari, with their guide Nisha Shah, assistant professor at MU’s life sciences department, set out to better understand and manage jellyfish blooms by accurately identifying species.

In collaboration with Pavan Annam-Kumar, senior scientist, Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Mumbai, the researchers used molecular markers along with morphological characters to distinguish the jellyfish. Their work was published in the March issue of the Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences.

“Every year we experience large swarms of jellyfish blooms, some of which possess venomous stings. Therefore, it’s important to identify all the different types of species. Jellyfish are difficult to identify, even for taxonomic experts. So we used a modern method of identification,” said Dagha.

Using morphology and molecular markers, they identified Rhopilema hispidum from the Mumbai coast, an edible species that has a huge market in south-east Asian countries. Molecular studies help understand the species diversity across geography by comparing the markers with same species from different geography (in this case Malaysia).

“In India, previous studies on jellyfish have focused mostly on aspects of jellyfish stings, envenomation (exposure to a poison or toxin resulting from a sting) and toxicology of their venoms,” the study said. While previous studies have documented the Rhopilema hispidum from the Indian coast using morphological characters, studies on molecular identification of jellyfish are very limited.

Molecular studies provide a confirmatory remark towards identification of any species. The partial gene sequence of ITS1 region obtained from this study will serve as a reference for identification of this species in future from Arabian sea, according to Dagha.

“This study gives us confirmation of the presence of a new type of jellyfish off Mumbai shores. Jellyfish are notorious for occupying fish space in fisherman’s catch due to which there is a huge financial loss to them. But it is actually a hidden market opportunity for the Mumbai fish industry with huge demand for jellyfish in eastern countries,” he said.

“This is the first time that the specimen is identified with molecular tools in India. Rhopilema hispidum is a common species in the Indo-Pacific, reported earlier from India from the east coast. This is also reported from Pakistan, and this study shows that it could be distributed both in east and west coast of India,” said A Bijukumar, professor and head of the aquatic biology and fisheries department of University of Kerala, who was not involved in the study,