An In-Situ Look at Jellyfish

The outbreak of gelatinous zooplankton, particularly jellyfish, can cause economic and ecological trouble for the affected areas. Outbreaks can affect fish growth and development, reducing fisheries production. Cooling systems in coastal factories can be blocked by these outbreaks, which affect the operation of coastal power plants, chemical plants, etc. The Visual Intelligence System laboratory (VISLAB) at Shanghai University has developed an in-situ observation system for gelatinous zooplankton based on bioluminescence. It collects biological images with a camera and determines the number, shape and size of gelatinous zooplankton using an algorithm. Surveying gelatinous zooplankton entails gathering clear biological images and data on number, depth and biomass of organisms. Biomass information is the most difficult to obtain and is usually estimated via body length, surface area and other morphological features. VISLAB's in-situ observation system for gelatinous zooplankton has proven that it can acquire clear images and obtain accurate morphological information at depth.