Jellyfish fisheries in southern Asia

Southern Asia, encompassing countries marginal to the north Indian Ocean, represents nearly one-third of the jellyfishing grounds in Asia. Despite this, a comprehensive understanding of its fisheries has been limited. To address this gap, the present study conducted a detailed meta-analysis of jellyfish landings, exports, and imports in southern Asia, utilising published literature, FAO reports, and communications with industry stakeholders for the period of 2000 to 2022. The present study introduced a conversion factor of 10 to estimate jellyfish landings from available export data. The findings reveal that India is the leading contributor, with an average landing per production year of ∼16,988 tonnes (∼41%), followed by Pakistan (12,212 tonnes, ∼30%), Bahrain (6,285 tonnes, ∼15%), Sri Lanka (3,604 tonnes, ∼9%), and Iran (2,170 tonnes, ∼ 5%). Bangladesh's contribution was minimal, at just 3.5 tonnes (∼0.01%), resulting in a total regional landing of ∼713,652 tonnes, with an average of ∼31,000 tonnes per production year. This amount annually contributes about 10% of the global capture production of jellyfish, with a recurring trend in peak jellyfish landings every nine years (2003, 2012, and 2021). The predominant species landed are Catostylus perezi (∼55%), Crambionella orsini (∼23%), and Crambionella annandalei (∼17%), whereas Rhopilema hispidum, Lobonema smithii, and Lobonemoides gracilis collectively account for less than 6% of cumulative landings. Jellyfish are mainly processed into dried and semi-dried products, with exports primarily directed to Southeast Asia and China. Recently available jellyfish export data (2000 to 2022) indicate an average export of ∼2,786 tonnes, with an average revenue of ∼3.9 million US dollars per trade year from southern Asia.