Jellyfish are a key species in marine ecosystems, although the extent of their occurrence and diversity is likely underestimated, particularly for biodiversity-rich locations such as Asia. While they only really enter our consciousness when they cause a nuisance through stings and closing of beaches, they play an important role in the health of our seas through providing shelter, transportation and food for numerous species of fish and invertebrates. It’s extremely important to better characterise and understand the diversity and occurrences of these species, and citizen science has the potential to be a particularly effective, viable, and low-cost approach to measuring this biodiversity and abundance. At the time as stimulating our curiosity and interest in these fascinating creatures and our local environment. The Hong Kong Jellyfish Project (HKJP) is a citizen science initiative seeking more information about jellyfish found in Hong Kong biodiverse and rich marine waters.
I recently caught up with the founder of HKJP John Terenzini about their project, why he got interested in Jellyfish and Citizen Science, and how people can get involved. His interview as you can watch below is one of many in our exclusive video series “CitSciAsia Meets…” where we speak with citizen scientists in Asia.
The Hong Kong Jellyfish Project wants to know about your jellyfish sightings – record the sightings and submit them, with photos, on their website http://www.hkjellyfish.com/. Anyone in Hong Kong can participate while out swimming, kayaking, paddling, sailing, or even riding a ferry. If you spot a jellyfish, take a photo and share it with HKJP. Jellyfish presence can be hard to monitor, so mobilizing citizens to get involved in the data collection process is the best and most scalable way to find them.
Results are now being used to compile data about the distribution and abundance of jellyfish, and combined with environmental data to learn more about jellyfish presence and the causes of blooms. As well as the environmental impacts, both causes and consequences of jellyfish. The project has already reported the sighting of several species Hong Kong waters for the first time, as well as sighting a completely new species present in the Mai Po wetlands. Showing the amazing potential that Citizen Scientists have to contribute to scientific knowledge and fill knowledge gaps that more traditional scientific approaches are yet to tackle. For interested jellyfish watchers outside of Hong Kong you can use the Jellywatch and The Jellyfish Apps, as well as their iNaturalist community.
