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5th International Jellyfish Bloom Symposium, 30 May to 3 June 2016, Barcelona.-- 1 page, Recently, new genetic and morphological data has suggested that Carybdea marsupialis is an endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea. The main aim of this project was to identify the factors associated with the recent increase in numbers of C. marsupialis in Maltese waters. Bi-monthly monitoring of the abiotic/biotic factors and individual abundance of this species was carried out within two Maltese embayments between July 2014 and July 2015. Individuals were collected through the deployment of a hand net and local samples were genetically compared to samples obtained from the Mediterranean coast of Spain and Tunisia (Hammamet Beach), and to Atlantic samples from Cádiz. Genetic characterisation was carried out through the analysis of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA region and of the region between the 18S and 28S of the rDNA.Over the study period, population numbers showed strong seasonality. The appearance of juveniles (5-15mm DBW) was recorded at the end of May 2015, with the abundance of non-mature adult stages (>15mm DBW, no gonads) reaching the highest densities between June and July 2015. Populations from both sites were strongly and positively correlated with sea water temperature and negatively correlated with phytoplankton and chlorophyll levels.Whilst a high degree of uniformity between the three Mediterranean populations (>98.0% similarity) was demonstrated, sharp differences were recorded between the genetic sequences of the analyzed Mediterranean populations and the Atlantic (Cádiz) one (~81.0% homology). The result for the Cádiz population further suggests the hypothesis that the Mediterranean supports a different Carybdea species than the Atlantic

Trabajo presentado en el 41st CIESM Congress, celebrado en Kiel del 12 al 16 de septiembre de 2016., The main aims of this study were to investigate the environmental parameters associated with blooming events of Carybdea marsupialis and to genetically compare the box jellyfish in Malta to other Mediterranean and Atlantic samples. The numbers of adult individuals, as well as abiotic and biotic factors were monitored in situ and analysed statistically. Phenological patterns were determined and the abundance of C. marsupialis at the Maltese sites was shown to be strongly and positively correlated with sea water temperature. Genetic analysis indicated a high degree of homology between the sequences derived from the analysed Mediterranean specimens, which was not apparent in the genetic material derived from specimens from the Eastern Atlantic (Cadiz).

Following participation within the 1980”s FAO-mediated monitoring exercises of Pelagia noctiluca blooms within Maltese waters, little scientific effort was invested in studying the dynamics of jellyfish blooms within same waters and at developing management and public information strategies concerning the same blooms. A renewed scientific effort at studying such aspects within Maltese waters was registered from 2010 onwards, with the launch of the Spot the Jellyfish citizen science campaign (www.ioikids.net/jellyfish) which provided a user-friendly, multivalent and web-based through which maritime stakehold- ers and the public at large could submit their jellyfish records for Maltese waters. The web- based portal was also supported by other promotional initiatives in the field, such as the installation of seaside boards on beaches. Through this initiative, several previously-un- documented species of gelatinous plankton were recorded for the first time from the same waters, including Rhopilema nomadica, Aequorea forskalea, Porpita porpita, Discomedua lobata, Geryonia proboscidalis, Neotima lucullana, Physophora hydrostatica, Chrysaora hysoscella and Oceania armata. The maintenance of an updated jellyfish record database has been made possible through the conduction of such a citizen science initiative., peer-reviewed

In order to assess the impact of jellyfish blooms on the Maltese aquaculture industry, a survey, in the form of a questionnaire, was developed under the framework of the EU funded ‘MED-JELLYRISK Project’ (http://jellyrisk.eu). The survey questionnaire consisted of twenty questions, and was set up with the objective of gathering baseline data on the perception of aquaculture workers on the impacts of jellyfish blooms on local fish farms. The methodology involved the use of the ‘mixed methods approach’, where primary data was collected in both quantitative and qualitative forms in order to understand the blooms impact more thoroughly. Within such a method of research, the ‘parallel mixed design’ approach was followed, where simultaneous collection of quantitative and qualitative data was conducted., peer-reviewed

7 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, supplemental material https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.11.005, In recent years, negative impacts of jellyfish blooms (JB) on marine human activities have been increasingly reported. Aquaculture has been affected by jellyfish outbreaks, mostly documented through repeated episodes of farmed salmon mortalities in Northern Europe; however, the valuation of JB consequences on the aquaculture sector still remains poorly quantified. This study aims to provide the first quantitative evaluation effects of JB on finfish aquaculture in the Mediterranean Sea and to investigate the general awareness of JB impacts among Mediterranean aquaculture professional workers. The aquaculture workers' perception about JB was assessed through a structured interview-based survey administered across 21 aquaculture facilities in central and western Mediterranean. The workers' awareness about JB impacts on aquaculture differed among countries. Italian and Spanish fish farmers were better informed about jellyfish proliferations and, together with Tunisian farmers, they all recognized the wide potential consequences of JB on sea bream and sea bass aquaculture. On the contrary, the majority of Maltese respondents considered JB as a non-significant threat to their activity, mostly based on off-shore tuna farming. This study for the first time shows that JB may negatively affect different Mediterranean aquaculture facilities from Tunisia (Sicily Channel) and Spain (Alboran Sea), by increasing farmed fish gill disorders and mortality, clogging net cages, or inflicting painful stings to field operators, with severe economic consequences. Available knowledge calls for the development of coordinated preventive plans, adaptation policies, and mitigation countermeasures across European countries in order to address the JB phenomenon and its impacts on coastal water activities, This work has received funding from the European Union's projects MED-JELLYRISK (grant n. I-A/1.3/098 - ENPI CBCMED programme), VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors, grant n. 266445, FP7th programme), and CERES (Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, grant n. 678193, Horizon 2020 programme)