Sea Jellies have been a desirable attraction for aquarium facilities since the 1900s. Later in 1968, Yoshitaka Abe from Ueno Aquarium was a pioneer who successfully reproduced the strobilation of Moon jellyfish and exhibited this species permanently. This event was able to then provide knowledge worldwide about husbandry protocols for this species. The interest in jellyfish husbandry has grown exponentially over recent years due to their unquestionable potential in a wide variety of uses including research, medicinal treatment, biotechnological applications and reproduction for public aquariums worldwide.
In Australia, Sea World, Gold Coast developed a jellyfish exhibit ‘Sea Jellies Illuminated’ which was opened to the public in 2018. This facility was in collaboration with Griffith University, Gold Coast, who designed a fully functional research laboratory which was developed to enhance the Sea Jelly exhibit but having the lab visible to public viewing. Since the exhibits opening in 2018, Sea World and Griffith University have been pioneers in aqua culturing native Sea Jelly species. This presentation is aimed to provide an overview of sea jellies aquaculture at Sea Jellies Illuminated, highlighting facility design, husbandry protocols, current species onsite and partnership with Griffith University.