Recently, the aquaculture technological achievement “Efficient Rotational Stocking and Catching Culture Technique of Edible Jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum” developed by Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute (YSFRI) and Yancheng Longxiang aquaculture co., Ltd, passed standardized evaluation for scientific and technological achievements. The evaluation was organised by Qingdao Liancheng Innovative Technology Development Services co., Ltd, and five experts from Ocean University of China (OUC), Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) and Institute of Marine Biology of Shandong Province participated in the evaluation.

The technological achievement solved several problems in traditional aquaculture mode of R. esculentum, including poor quality of seedling, high mortality and instable yield, and then realized high production, stable yield in the R. esculentum pond-culture. On the technical side, the achievement improved the seedling quality by optimizing the breeding technique of polyps and planktonic larvae, which involved selection of broodstock, detailed studies of predation behaviors of planula and newly metamorphosed polyp, development of initial feed, morphological and growth characteristics of planktonic larvae and determining its suitable culture density, the establishment of outdoor large-sized seedling breeding methods and so on. In addition, the technological achievement improved the efficiency and yield of pond-cultured R. esculentum via the analysis of growth rhythm of pond-cultured R. esculentum, the development of artificial diet with well suspension, the establishment of batch seedling release and batch catching technique and so on. The pilot study achieved a number of good records for R. esculentum culture, including survival rate over 31% and culture yield more than 420 kg per acre. Since 2003, the achievement has been promoted and applied in Shandong, Liaoning, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces of China, and has obtained significant economic and social benefits.

Fig.1 Culture of polyps and over-wintering

Fig.2 Planktonic larvae rearing

Fig.3 Pond-cultured medusa in different stage