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>> THE JELLYFISH.
IT'S ONE OF NATURE'S MOST
BEAUTIFUL, DELICATE,
AND DESPISED CREATURES.
TO MOST PEOPLE, A JELLYFISH
IS JUST AN UGLY BLOB OF GOO
WASHED UP ON THE BEACH,
OR A BIG MASS OF STRINGY
TENTACLES LOOKING FOR AN
INNOCENT SWIMMER TO STING.
BUT THERE'S MORE TO A JELLYFISH
THAN MEETS THE SKIN.
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>> THERE ARE THESE ONES THAT
ARE REALLY PRETTY.
SORT OF AN ART DECO ANIMAL.
>> JELLYFISH ARE NEITHER JELLY
NOR FISH.
THEY ARE INVERTEBRATES.
95 PERCENT WATER,
4 PERCENT PROTEIN,
AND 1 PERCENT MINERALS,
THEY'RE SPINELESS, BRAINLESS,
AND HEARTLESS.
>> THEY'RE JUST
A REALLY UNIQUE ORGANISM,
AND BY BEING SO DIFFERENT IS
WHAT MAKES THEM SO APPEALING
TO ME AND TO DIFFERENT FOLKS,
I THINK, JUST TO WATCH.
>> DESPITE BEING QUITE FRAGILE,
JELLYFISH ARE VERY EFFICIENT
PREDATORS.
THE TENTACLES CONTAIN STINGING
CELLS CALLED 'NEMATOCYSTS',
WHICH IMMOBILIZE THEIR PREY.
>> THE SWEEPING MOVEMENT THAT
THEY ARE DOING WITH THEIR BELL
IS A COMBINATION OF MOVING
THROUGH THE WATER COLUMN,
BUT ALSO JUST
SWEEPING FOOD PARTICLES
INTO THEIR ORAL AREA
WHICH IS RIGHT ON THE UNDERSIDE
OF THE JELLYFISH THERE.
THEY DANGLE THESE OUT,
ALMOST LIKE THE OLD
"NO PEST STRIPS", YOU KNOW,
THAT COLLECT THE BUGS.
SAME TYPE OF PRINCIPLE,
DRAG THESE THROUGH THE WATER,
WAIT TILL THE BRINE SHRIMP
LARVAE GET STUCK ON THEM,
THEN THEY HAUL THEM IN.
>> SOME JELLYFISH,
LIKE THE CABBAGE HEAD,
HAVE NO TENTACLES AND VERY WEAK
STINGING CELLS.
THE AUSTRALIAN BOX JELLY,
ON THE OTHER HAND,
HAS TOXIN MORE POTENT THAN
COBRA VENOM,
AND CAN KILL A PERSON
IN MINUTES.
>> IF A PATIENT HAS A SEVERE
ALLERGIC REACTION TO A JELLYFISH
STING, THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE WILL
DROP, THEY CAN HAVE SWELLING IN
THEIR FACE AND IN THEIR MOUTH,
AND EVEN GET FLUID IN
THEIR LUNGS.
>> BUT MOST STINGS ARE FAIRLY
MILD, AND CAN EASILY BE TREATED.
>> MOST MINOR STINGS ARE BEST
TREATED WITH EITHER MEAT
TENDERIZER, OR SOME WEAK
ACIDIC SOLUTION.
SOME PEOPLE USE VINEGAR.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS
TO REMOVE ALL THE STINGERS
OR THE SMALL LITTLE TENTACLES
FROM THE PERSON.
THE BEST WAY TO ACCOMPLISH
THIS IS, JUST WITH AN
EVERYDAY CREDIT CARD.
YOU CAN TAKE IT,
TURN IT PARALLEL TO YOUR SKIN
AND TRY TO SCRAPE IT OFF.
WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IS PUT
HOT WATER ON IT, OR FRESH WATER
ON IT, THAT WILL MAKE IT WORSE.
>> YOU WON'T FIND THE DEADLY
AUSTRALIAN BOX JELLY OFF
THE TEXAS COAST.
WHAT YOU WILL FIND ARE
CABBAGE HEADS, MOON JELLIES,
AND SEA NETTLES,
LIKE THESE ON DISPLAY AT
THE TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM.
>> THE IDEA BEHIND THE EXHIBIT
IS TO TRY TO LET VISITORS GET
A NEW APPRECIATION OF WHAT
JELLYFISH ARE ALL ABOUT.
>> THIS TEMPORARY EXHIBIT
PROVED SO POPULAR,
CURATORS DECIDED TO KEEP SEVERAL
OF THE TANKS PERMANENTLY.
THAT WAY, VISITORS CAN ENJOY
THE BEAUTY OF JELLYFISH,
WITHOUT ALL THE NASTY
SIDE EFFECTS.
>> IN GENERAL, I THINK THEY
ARE KIND OF CONSIDERED
A NUISANCE ANIMAL,
AND WHAT WE REALLY WANTED TO DO
HERE WITH THIS EXHIBIT IS KIND
OF PRESENT JELLIES IN A WHOLE
NEW LIGHT, SO TO SPEAK.
>> LOOK AT THEM,
THEY'RE STARTING TO SHOW UP
LIKE CRAZY NOW WITH THE SUN.
>> THE CABBAGE HEADS ARE BY
FAR THE MOST ABUNDANT
JELLYFISH IN TEXAS WATERS.
IN THE WARM SUMMER MONTHS,
THEY SHOW UP BY THE THOUSANDS.
THAT'S GOOD NEWS FOR THE SEA
TURTLES, BIRDS, AND CRABS
THAT EAT JELLYFISH.
IT'S BAD NEWS FOR SHRIMPERS.
>> WHEN YOU DRAG YOUR NET
THROUGH AN AREA OF HIGH
CABBAGE HEAD ABUNDANCE YOU'RE
GONNA LOAD A TRAWL UP.
A TRAWL FULL OF CABBAGE
HEADS WEIGHS QUITE A BIT.
>> THE FACT THAT YOU CAN FILL
A TRAWL WITH JELLYFISH IS
EXACTLY WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE
INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHING
THEM AS A COMMERCIAL FISHERY.
FLORIDA HAS ALLOWED LARGE
SCALE HARVESTING OF JELLYFISH
SINCE 1994.
THE ANNUAL CATCH THERE HAS
FLUCTUATED DRASTICALLY,
FROM 100,000 POUNDS THE
FIRST YEAR, TO 1.3 MILLION
POUNDS THE NEXT.
THE IDEA OF A COMMERCIAL
JELLYFISH INDUSTRY IN TEXAS
HAS BEEN FLOATING AROUND FOR
A FEW YEARS, BUT THE EFFECT
ON THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT
IS AN UNKNOWN.
>> SO WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
POUNDS OF JELLYFISH IN
THE FIRST PLACE?
>> GIVE ME AN ORDER OF EGG ROLL
AND VERMICELLI, AND ALSO GIVE
ME A BOWL OF JELLYFISH SALAD.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
NOT ONLY ARE JELLYFISH A
FOOD SOURCE FOR MANY
MARINE ANIMALS...
PEOPLE EAT THEM, TOO.
>> THERE YOU GO,
THAT'S THE JELLYFISH.
>> JELLYFISH ARE A HUGE SOURCE
OF FOOD IN ASIAN CULTURES,
SO MUCH SO,
THAT SOME COUNTRIES HAVE
DEPLETED THEIR SUPPLIES.
CURRENTLY,
ASIANS ARE IMPORTING OVER
60 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF
JELLYFISH EACH YEAR.
THUS, THE INTEREST IN
ESTABLISHING A JELLYFISH
INDUSTRY HERE IN TEXAS.
>> THIS IS ABOUT PERFECT FOR
WHAT THEY WOULD WANT TO CATCH
TO EAT.
IT'S ROUND, IT'S FIRM,
IT'S FRESH.
>> THIS IS THE ONLY
KIND OF JELLYFISH THAT I KNOW.
IT ALWAYS COMES
IN A PACKET AND CLEAN,
AND IT'S NOT
ITCHING WHEN YOU EAT IT!
>> AT THE YANG CHOW RESTAURANT
IN PALACIOS, TEXAS,
OWNER KIM CHAU IS WHIPPING
UP A JELLYFISH SALAD.
PROCESSED JELLYFISH HAVE A
CRUNCH TO THEM THAT MALAYSIANS
CALL "MUSIC TO THE TEETH".
IN SALAD,
THEY ARE MIXED WITH ONIONS,
CARROTS, CELERY, SHRIMP,
AND LOTUS ROOTS.
>> OF COURSE AFTER YOU MARINATE
IT IN SUGAR & VINEGAR,
IT TASTES KIND OF PICKLED.
>> EATING SOMETHING THAT IS
KNOWN TO STING YOU MAY NOT SEEM
LIKE A VERY GOOD IDEA,
BUT THE CURING PROCESS
ELIMINATES THE STINGING CELLS.
AND BESIDES,
JELLYFISH ARE REALLY LOW
IN CALORIES.
>> YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE ARE
SCARED OF JELLYFISH.
MAYBE STING YOU,
OR MAYBE HURT YOU,
BUT DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
TASTE IT AND YOU'LL
KNOW THAT IT'S GOOD.
>> OK, THERE YOU GO,
THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF A CABBAGE
HEAD JELLYFISH.
AND YOU CAN SEE HE'S GOT
A LITTLE PASSENGER ON HIM.
THIS IS A LITTLE SPIDER CRAB.
>> FOR 650 MILLION YEARS,
JELLYFISH HAVE SURVIVED
AND THRIVED IN THE OCEANS
OF THE WORLD.
WHILE THEY PROBABLY WON'T
REPLACE THE ARMADILLO AS
A TEXAS ICON, THEY DO
REPRESENT AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT
IN OUR MARINE ECOSYSTEM.
WHETHER OR NOT THEY BECOME A
VALUABLE ECONOMIC COMMODITY
IN TEXAS, HOWEVER,
IS A MATTER OF TIME,
AND TASTE.
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