Benefits of the Stinging Jellyfish

Benefits of the Stinging Jellyfish 

The jellyfish has been around for more than 650 million years, predating both the dinosaurs and the sharks (“Jellyfish Facts”). These resilient creatures have remained unmatched throughout the years and have grown in numbers. Recently, researchers have found that the jellyfish populations have skyrocketed due to the overfishing. Now Japanese fishing nets catch more unwanted jellyfish than fish. These stinging creatures are bombarding the world’s beaches and are becoming an annoyance to beach goers. The jellyfish has overtaken the world’s oceans, making this creature seem more of a nuisance than a convenience. Though a bad reputation has been casted over the jellyfish, this species may prove to be beneficial. Jellyfish have the potential to act as a food source for healthy diets, to sustain fisheries for a stable economy, and to treat arthritis.

For over a thousand years, jellyfish have been a traditional delicacy to the Chinese and recently the nutritional value has been suggested. In China, weddings and formal banquets have jellyfish served in the salads (Hsieh 13). Japan serves jellyfish in a sushi form while Thailand serves jellyfish as a crunchy noodle (Caroline 40). The question is: why would people in Asian society eat jellyfish, if they are menacing creatures with tentacles that sting? The truth is jellyfish are a healthy food source. According to a report commissioned by Spain’s Environment Ministry, “Jellyfish contain 95 percent water… and proteins… and contain almost no lipids, carbohydrates, or cholesterol” (Nash 1). Basically, the report found that jellyfish are a great diet food because jellyfish are high in water and protein. Water decreases appetite, carries nutrients, removes waste, and regulates temperature, while protein helps build bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. According to Li Jian-Rong and Yun-Hwa P Hsieh, authors of “Traditional Chinese Food Technology and Cuisine”, “the caloric value for a normal 100 g serving of ready-to-use jellyfish is less than 20 kcal,” (152). In other words, jellyfish are extremely low in calories and perfect for people who are watching their weight.

Although jellyfish provide a low calorie diet, in order to use these stinging creatures to a dietary advantage, the jellyfish must go through processing in order to be edible. The jellyfish’s umbrella and oral arms are first separated, then cleaned and soaked in water. A salt and alum mixture coats the umbrella and oral arms. After this step, the umbrella and oral arms are pressed and dried for two to five weeks. Afterwards, the process for product packaging begins, lasting four to six days. Then desalting and rehydration in water occurs in preparation for the shredding, marinating, and cooking of the jellyfish. After the completion of these steps, the jellyfish is finally ready to be served (Jian-rong and Hsieh 151).

Some may find jellyfish to not be a viable food source. Jian-rong and Hsieh, believed that, “the overnight desalting procedure and preparation of jellyfish dish may become a barrier for modern consumers with busy life styles” (152). Today we live in a world where people are looking to prepare fast, easy meals. Jellyfish simply would not fit under these standards. Although the process of desalting is time consuming, processors have found an easier way to package the jellyfish for consumers. Li and Hsieh have said that, “This has been overcome by developing shredded ready to use products with varieties of flavor and sauces” (152). Basically, jellyfish products have adapted to become consumer needs and lifestyles. By jellyfish coming in a package readymade meal, preparation is quick and simple again. In fact, according to Li and Hsieh, “shredded jellyfish have appeared on the supermarket packaged together with condiments such as soy sauce, wasabi or mustard, as a convenient ready to eat food” (152). By having, the shredded jellyfish packaged with condiments and placed in assorted flavors consumers are able to pick the flavor that best suits their palate. No longer is the jellyfish a hassle to prepare, but instead it is a delectable meal that can be eaten any time.

In order to sell these delectable jellyfish on the market, there must be fisheries to sustain the consumer’s needs. Li and Hsieh found that “today semi dried salted jellyfish represent a multimillion-dollar seafood business in Asia” (152). In other words, jellyfish bring in huge amounts of money. The jellyfish industry can improve the local economies because job opportunities are present. Fu-Ming and Hsieh, authors of “Jellyfish as Food”, state, “Processing jellyfish in Asia is a low cost operation that requires little capital but in labor intensive” (11). Since the cost of fishing operations requires little capital, starting up a jellyfish industry would be more realistic in comparison to other fishing industries. The creation of a jellyfish fishing industry could potentially create thousands of jobs in the harvesting of jellyfish. Jobs would include a range of people working on boats harvesting jellyfish to people processing jellyfish for consumption. With new jobs in place, people will have the opportunity to make money and spend it, improving the local economy.

In addition to helping Asia, jellyfish could help boost the United States economy and rid the nuisance. The abundance of jellyfish in our oceans shows that just about any country could start an industry based on jellyfish. Fu-Ming and Hsieh found that “… the U.S. [is] utilizing [its] available species to produce jellyfish products for export” (11). This means that the United States is creating an exporting trade sustained on jellyfish found near its homeland. Fu-Ming and Hsieh explained that the “United States considered the Cannonball Jellyfish to be a nuisance” (11). This is because during the summer jellyfish come close to the coastal waters and swarm around areas that beachgoers tend to visit (Fu-Ming and Hsieh 11). When jellyfish are too abundant, many people do not wish to go to the beach because they are afraid they may be stung. Jellyfish also cause harm to native fish by consuming nutrients that other fish species utilize. Fu-Ming and Hsieh found that a fishery in Florida initiated the first harvesting and processing industry for Cannonball Jellyfish in 1992, in order to get rid of the nuisance and to turn the Cannonball Jellyfish into value-added products (11). In other words, the U.S. decided to harvest the Cannonball Jellyfish and export to countries like Japan and China, where the demand for jellyfish products is high. The exporting of jellyfish benefits the U.S. economically because the industry makes money off exporting the jellyfish and benefits the environment because jellyfish no longer cause harm to native fish species.

Anthony Richardson, Andrew Bakun, Graema Hays, and Mark Gibbons, authors of “The Jellyfish Joyride,” believe that “jellyfish products for food and medicine may put an increase fishing pressure on non-problem species in healthy ecosystems” (319). They believe that overfishing of major fish like tuna and salmon has occurred, dropping major fish populations to minute numbers. They are afraid that the fishing industry will turn to fish species that have greater populations, like jellyfish. If this occurs, fishing industries could potentially reduce populations in these substitute fish species, and bring their numbers down to a plummeting halt. Healthy ecosystems could collapse under these strenuous conditions causing holes in the food chain and creating gaps in healthy ecosystems.

Although Richardson, Bakun, Hays, and Gibbons argue that the jellyfish products may put an increase fishing pressure, Fui-Ming and Hsieh state that “Asian countries are actively developing fisheries management plans in an effort to conserve the jellyfish” (11). The two argue that, “In both China and Thailand, the government fisheries departments control the jellyfish season” (11). In essence, the government is developing conservation techniques to preserve the jellyfish species, and decrease the fishing pressures put upon the jellyfish and other non-problem species. Fui-Ming and Hsieh found that one of the conservation techniques used to preserve the jellyfish is that, “during the last several weeks of the season, the governments do not allow catching because the jellyfish are largest and reproducing” (11). This guideline enables the jellyfish to reproduce in larger numbers therefore allowing the jellyfish to replenish their population. As long as the government installs and enforces guidelines to conserve jellyfish, jellyfish products for food and medicine should not increase fishing pressures.

In addition to feeding people and sustaining fishing industries, jellyfish are being used to a medicinal advantage. Scientists believe that jellyfish collagen could potentially be an effective cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis: “Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the joints, which gradually erodes the cartilage and bone” (“Rheumatoid arthritis”). In other words, the body sees itself as a threat and attacks tissue that would otherwise be healthy. A person without Rheumatoid Arthritis has cartilage between two bones that are connected. The cartilage keeps the bones from rubbing together and acts as padding and a shock absorber. A person with Rheumatoid Arthritis has worn and broken down cartilage because the body sees the healthy cartilage as a threat and attacks, therefore destroying the cartilage padding.

Researchers have found that “The primary protein in cartilage, Type II Collagen (CII) is crucial to joint health and function” (“Rheumatoid Arthritis”). Rheumatoid Arthritis, however, attacks the cartilage, breaks down the Type II Collagen, and leaves the joint weak and inflamed. Researchers are searching for an effective cure to keep the joints of Rheumatoid Arthritis patients healthy and functioning. Jian-Rong and Hsieh may have the answer to this cure. The two hypothesize that “collagen … may be the ingredient in jellyfish contributing to the beneficial health effects because collagen is the essential building material of muscle tissue, cartilage, and bone, and has great medicinal promise” (152). In other words, Jian-Rong and Hsieh believe that collagen taken from jellyfish could potentially be a beneficial medicinal treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Experiments on lab rats were needed in order to see if jellyfish collagen was a potential treatment for human rheumatoid arthritis. Hsieh reported, “Laboratory rats fed with low doses of Cannonball Jellyfish collagen had significantly delayed the onset and reduced the incidence and severity of antigen induced arthritis, [an antigen] model that [is similar to] … human rheumatoid arthritis” (152). In essence, lab rats with the arthritis antigen had similar symptoms to human Rheumatoid Arthritis, which included inflammation and stiffness. The collagen harvested from jellyfish suppressed these symptoms in the rats. This experiment gives supporting evidence in that jellyfish collagen may be an effective cure to human Rheumatoid Arthritis because jellyfish collagen was able to suppress symptoms in rats with a similar arthritis antigen.

Another study done by Anhui Medical University of China showed that chicken collagen also suppressed the symptoms of human Rheumatoid Arthritis (Can Chicken). Although their findings prove to be true, Brian Wright, who works for the office of technology transfer at Auburn University, found that “Jellyfish collagen is more homogeneous than bovine or chicken Type II collagen, [and] it showed a superior effect in suppressing the onset of arthritis in rats” (1). In other words, jellyfish collagen is more effective in the treatment of human Rheumatoid Arthritis than chicken collagen. Wright also found that another advantage to using jellyfish collage instead of chicken collagen is that jellyfish collagen is “less expensive to extract and minimizes the effect of adverse side effects” (1). This means that jellyfish collagen is not costly and is safe to administer to Rheumatoid Arthritis patients.

Imagine sitting in a restaurant and having your sever bring you a plate of jellyfish with your choice of soy sauce, wasabi or mustard. Instead of pushing this dish to the side, remember that jellyfish can be a beneficial food source because they are full of water and protein, making them a powerful diet food. The demand for jellyfish on the menu is rising, creating fishing industries that boost local economies and create job opportunities. Jellyfish also are a medicinal benefit because they contain collagen that slows or stops the effects of arthritis. So next time you see a jellyfish remember they are more beneficial than they are harmful.
Work Cited 
"Can Chicken Collagen Treat Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis." Arthritis, Arthritis Diet, Arthritis Exercises, Arthritis Therapies. YOGY, 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. 
Fui-Ming, Jack Rudloe, and Peggy Hsieh. "Jellyfish as 
Food."Hydrobiologia 2007: 11-17. Seaturtle. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Web. 9 Nov. 2010 
"Jellyfish Facts." AC Tropical Fish & Aquarium. 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. 
Jian-Rong, Li, and Yun-Hwa P. Hsieh. "Traditional Chinese food technology and 
cuisine." Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 13.2 (2004): 147-155. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 5 Nov. 2010. 
Nash, Elizabeth. "Something Fishy about the Jelly on Your Plate?" LexisNexis. LexisNexis, 01 Nov. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. 
"Rheumatoid Arthritis, Role Of Type II Collagen, Study." Medical News Today. 04 Dec. 2005. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. 
Richardson, Anthony J, Andrew Bakun, Graema Hays, Mark Gibbons. 
"The Jellyfish Joyride: Causes, Consequences and Management Responses to a More Gelatinous Future." Cell Press. Web. 8 Nov. 2010. 

Williams, Caroline. "The next big fin." New Scientist 201 (2009): 40-3. OmniFile Full Text Mega. Web. 5 Nov. 2010. 
Wright, Brian. "Use of Jellyfish Collagen in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis." Auburn University. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.