SAMS news room

Aerial jellyfish survey

Staff from SAMS and the University of Swansea recently participated in an aerial survey of jellyfish abundance in Argyll waters including the sound of Mull, the Firth of Lorne and the sound of Jura.

Aerial surveys have previously been successfully used to map jellyfish distributions in the Southern Irish Sea, with the recent survey providing the first application of this methodology in Scottish waters.

The survey was conducted to coincide with a report of Mauve Stingers (Pelagia noctiluca) in waters close to Mull. A bloom of this species led to the deaths of more than 100,000 salmon at Northern Ireland’s only marine fish farm in November 2007.

The survey forms part of a Crown Estate funded study involving scientists from SAMS, the University of Swansea and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory that seeks to better inform the Scottish aquaculture industry of the risks posed by jellyfish blooms.



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