As the school holidays begin, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is again calling on British seaside visitors to take part in the national MCS Jellyfish Survey and report their sightings of these bizarre but fascinating creatures. Large jellyfish blooms have already been reported washing up on beaches in England, Scotland and Wales, and as the UK's seas warm up during the summer, more jellyfish blooms are expected.

"This year's jellyfish season started in April in the Irish Sea, when barrel jellyfish were reported off the Welsh coast. In May we started to receive reports of big blooms of the harmless moon jellyfish from around the UK, and then through June and July, large numbers of the beautiful blue and compass jellyfish also started to wash up on our beaches," said Peter Richardson, MCS Biodiversity Programme Manager, "Blooms of the stinging Lion's Mane jellyfish have been recorded in the Irish Sea as well as on Scotland's east coast, and a potentially dangerous Portuguese Man Of War was recorded nr. Land's End in Cornwall in mid-July. As ever, we are encouraging holidaymakers to take part in our national jellyfish survey, but the key message is look, don't touch!"

The MCS Jellyfish Survey aims to uncover the little-known habits of British jellyfish, as part of a wider programme to find out more about critically endangered leatherback turtles that migrate thousands of miles to UK waters to feed on their favourite jellyfish prey each summer. By mapping where and when the jellyfish are seen, MCS hopes to understand more about leatherback turtles while they visit in UK seas.

"Our survey has already recorded some unusual jellyfish events. For example, last summer we received many reports of the usually rare Portuguese Man of War washing up on beaches in Devon and Cornwall. Then in November our volunteers recorded a vast and unseasonal bloom of the Mauve Stinger jellyfish move into our waters along Britain's north west coast," said Peter Richardson, "Mauve Stingers can sting quite badly, and have wreaked havoc at holiday destinations throughout the Mediterranean. Last years' Mauve Stinger bloom stretched from Northern Ireland to the Shetland Islands and severely affected salmon farms off Northern Ireland and the west coast of Scotland. We are not sure if the Mauve Stinger bloom was a one-off event, but scientists are predicting that climate change will result in more jellyfish in UK waters and the MCS jellyfish survey aims to record these unusual blooms if they happen again."

MCS is interested in the six larger jellyfish and two jellyfish-like species likely to be encountered around the UK coast that are known to be leatherback prey. This year British beach-goers and sea-users are encouraged to record their jellyfish encounters at www.mcsuk.org, where a free MCS jellyfish identification guide can also be downloaded. Paper copies of the ID guide and forms are also available on request, however MCS advises the public to take care during the survey.

Over 5,000 jellyfish encounters have been reported since the MCS Survey was launched in 2003. The survey data will be fully analysed in collaboration with the University of Exeter's Centre for Ecology & Conservation, but initial analysis of these public reports is already showing interesting differences in the distribution of the larger jellyfish species around Britain (as shown in table below).

Taking part in the jellyfish survey is easy! The full-colour MCS jellyfish photo-ID guide can be downloaded from www.mcsuk.org where jellyfish encounters can be reported online. Alternatively, if beach goers want a paper copy of the ID guide and recording forms, they are available on request from the MCS office on 01989 566017 or info@mcsuk.org. Ends

For further information, and photographs contact:

Peter Richardson, Biodiversity Programme Manager. Tel: 01989 566017 Mob: 07793 118383

E-mail: peter@mcsuk.org

Marine Conservation Society, Unit 3, Wolf Business Park, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 5NB. Fax: 01989 567815 www.mcsuk.org

Scottish press contact - Anne Saunders, Scottish Projects Officer. Tel: 0131 226 2391, Mob: 07894 566624 - anne.saunders@mcsuk.org

Editor's notes:

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. MCS campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries, protection of marine life and their habitats, and the sensitive use of our marine resources for future generations. Through education, community involvement and collaboration, MCS raises awareness of the many threats that face our seas and promotes individual, industry and government action to protect the marine environment. MCS provides information and guidance on many aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk), the Good Fish Guide and www.fishonline.org on sustainable seafood, as well as promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach and Basking Shark Watch. MCS is campaigning for a Marine Bill to better protect UK marine wildlife and habitats and ensure the sustainable management of our seas and resources. MCS together with many other UK NGOs successfully lobbied Government and secured commitment to introduce a Marine Bill, which should be put to Parliament in 2008/09. www.mcsuk.org

Jellyfish in UK waters: The moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) is the most widespread species, occurring all around the UK coast from May, as does the less common blue jellyfish (Cyanea lamarkii). In contrast, the giant but harmless Barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma octopus), which can grow up to 1 metre in diameter and weigh up to 40kgs, is largely limited to the Irish Sea and adjacent waters to the north. It occurs year round, even in winter, but blooms tend to start in March. The Lion's Mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) has the most powerful and painful sting of the UK species. It blooms during the summer but is rarely seen south of the Irish Sea on the west coast, or south of Northumberland on the East coast, with most reports coming from Scottish waters. The Compass jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella), with its bizarre compass-like markings, is found throughout the UK coast. Mauve stingers (Pelagia noctiluca) are occasionally recorded from the southwest in early spring, but large numbers were reported off Britain's west coast last November, while MCS received many reports of the usually rare Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia physalia) from beaches in the south-west.

The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). There are seven species of marine turtle swimming the world's oceans and five species have been recorded in UK and Irish waters. Whereas leatherbacks migrate to British seas every summer to feed on jellyfish, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) prefer warmer climates and occur here as weather blown strays. Analyses of stomach contents of dead leatherbacks stranded on UK shores have revealed that they feed on lion's mane, blue, barrel, moon, mauve stinger and compass jellyfish while in UK waters.

Turtles in the UK: MCS is the a joint lead partner in the UK Grouped Species Action Plan for Marine Turtles in UK waters and the UK Overseas Territories. The Action Plan prioritises the conservation of leatherback turtles in UK waters and is implemented by a coalition of organisations, government agencies and academic institutions known as the Turtle Implementation Group (TIG). As a contribution to the Action Plan, MCS is a carrying out a suite of surveys in addition to the Jellyfish Survey to increase the understanding of leatherback ecology and the threats the turtles face while in UK waters. More information about these activities can be found at www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles