A brand new set of Spot the Jellyfish posters and boards have been erected at over 70 coastal locations around the islands. The posters feature 12 different jellyfish species, presented in a way that makes them easy to recognise by beach-goers, with a clear distinction being made between stinging and non-stinging varieties and salient advice on how best to treat jellyfish stings. Some of the 12 species, namely the Australian spotted jellyfish, the compass jellyfish and the nomadic jellyfish, have to date not been sighted in Malta, but have been included in the posters because since they were sighted in the Suez Canal they have been rapidly spreading in the Mediterranean.
The Spot the Jellyfish boards and posters have been sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority for the second year running. Since its inception a year ago, almost 500 reports of 12 different species of jellyfish have been submitted by the public, and can be viewed online on a summary map (http://193.188.45.233/jellyfish/stats.html) which depicts jellyfish occurrence and distribution. Through the initiative, four new species of jellyfish – the blue button (porpita porpita), the crystal jellyfish (aequorea sp.), the moon jellyfish (aurelia aurita) and cladonema radiatum – have been recorded for the first time in Maltese waters.
The reporting of jellyfish species is done by simply matching the sighted jellyfish with a simple visual identification guide, giving the date and time of the sighting, and indicating the number seen. Sightings can be also reported online or submitted by SMS to 7922 2278, or by sending an email to [email protected] Strange jellyfish not included on the leaflet should be caught and kept in a bucket of seawater before contacting IOI-MOC staff ([email protected]) for retrieval to attempt a definite identification of the species. If this is not possible, photographs of the jellyfish should be taken.
The Spot the Jellyfish initiative is coordinated by Dr Alan Deidun, Prof. Aldo Drago and staff of IOI-MOC, and also enjoys the support of Nature Trust, Friends of the Earth, EkoSkola, the BlueFlag Malta programme and, as from this year, Sharklab. The initiative follows a citizen science approach and relies on the collaboration of members of the public, mariners, divers and especially the younger generation through their teachers and parents, by recruiting their assistance in recording the presence and location of different jellyfish. A4-size leaflet versions of the posters have been widely distributed among the diving community and schoolchildren, and can be directly downloaded from www.ioikids.net/jellyfish, which is replete with snippets and anecdotes about different jellyfish species.
A jellyfish photography competition is also being organised, jointly with Din l-Art Helwa, with submissions being received by Dr Alan Deidun at [email protected] and Dr. Stanley Farrugia Randon at [email protected]. The competition is on two tiers: one for scuba divers and snorkellers using an underwater camera and the other for people with a conventional camera who take photographs of beached or surface jellyfish. The winners of both categories will be announced during Notte Bianca and prizes include an underwater watch and an underwater camera.