Leatherback turtle researcher wants people to be on the lookout for jellyfish

A Dalhousie University researcher is asking people to keep an eye out for jellyfish this summer along Nova Scotia's coastline.

Bethany Nordstrom, who is working on her master's degree at Dalhousie, is studying where and when jellyfish occur in Nova Scotia waters to better understand the endangered leatherback sea turtle.

"The turtles come all the way up here to eat the jellyfish," Nordstrom told CBC's Maritime Noon. Knowing about the turtle's prey can provide information about the leatherbacks and help designate critical habitat ranges, she said.

Leatherbacks are the world's largest reptile. With their leather-like shells reaching lengths of more than two metres, the beasts can weigh up to 900 kilograms.

They travel up to 12,000 kilometres each year between their nesting grounds in the tropics to their feeding grounds in northern waters.

What you need to send if you see jellyfish

Whether you spot jellyfish washed up on the beach or floating in the water from a boat, Nordstrom wants to know. You can forward your sighting via this form or to her email: jellyfish@dal.ca.

She's looking for a quick description including:

• Where you saw it.
• The date and time you saw it.
• The identity of the species.
• If you're not up on jellyfish species, provide a description of what it looked like, including shape and size.

Nordstrom already has a network of about 45 "citizen scientists" who monitor the coastline of Nova Scotia about once a week.

"At this point, I'm just looking for any observations of people who happen just to be out," she said.

Some common jellyfish in this area include the lion's mane jellyfish.

It's one of the bigger species, colourful purple, reds and browns with lots of stinging tentacles.

"They're the ones that people usually want to stay away from in the summer," said Nordstrom.

Jellies affected by climate change

Another common species are moon jellyfish. They're translucent with four rings on the top.

Leatherback turtles will eat pretty much any jellyfish, or jellyfish-like creature, including comb jellies.

"Comb jellies are those little, tiny, round almost grape-sized little gelatinous blobs that you'll see throughout the summer months," said Nordstrom.

If you look carefully off the wharf into Halifax Harbour during the summer you'll see the small, iridescent creatures lazily swimming near the surface.

Nordstrom's research also has the potential to better understand how climate change affects creatures off Nova Scotia.

"With changing climate, we might see shifts in species ranges or we might see new species coming up the coast. And that's another exciting thing about this project ... we'll be able to monitor what people are seeing and if new species are showing up."