Development of technologies for commercial utilisation of jellyfish as an ingredient in aquaculture fish feed (112648)

Jellyfish can occur in very high densities in inland Danish waters in general, and in fjords and belts in particular, where they can be a major nuisance to shipping, fishing, tourism and aquaculture. Jellyfish feed on fish larvae, fish eggs, and zooplankton, which disrupts the natural balance in the water. This imbalance can lead to excessive growth of phytoplankton that later decomposes, causing oxygen depletion.

The MEDUSA project aims to find ways to use jellyfish as a nutrient source for farmed fish. Although jellyfish have low nutritional value (approximately 2% protein, fat, and carbohydrates), they could potentially be a sustainable source of marine nutrients for fish feed, if caught and processed in a sustainable manner.

The project consists of 4 work packages (WP):

- WP1: Characteristics and biological/nutritional value of jellyfish in fish feed (WP leader Kylian Manon Eggink, DTU Aqua, Section for Aquaculture)

- WP2: Distribution, biology and fisheries of jellyfish (WP leader Cornelia Jasper, DTU Aqua, Centre for Gelatinous Plankton Ecology & Evolution (CGPEE))

- WP3: Methods for primary removal of water from jellyfish (WP leader Manuel Pinelo, DTU Kemiteknik)

- WP4: Methods for secondary fractionation, refining, concentration and drying of end products (WP leader Torben Jensen, Vestjyllands Andel).

Funding
The project is funded by the Green Development and Demonstration Programme (GUDP) administered by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark.

Research area: Aquaculture
Research area: Marine Populations and Ecosystem Dynamics