Monday, May 30, 2011

Jelly Jamboree Announced for June 17 to July 2, 2011 on Bonaire

The Jelly Jamboree is an event to document and survey the gelatinous marine life forms that exist in Bonaire’s waters. Everyone who is on Bonaire between June 17th and July 2nd, 2011 is invited to participate. To participate, simply keep your eyes open when diving or snorkeling, and report what you see in regard to jellies, where you see them, and at what depth. It’s hoped that by consolidating all the data gathered during this two week period, that there will be a better understanding of the life cycles of those jellies living in Bonaire’s waters. Images are also encouraged.

There will be educational and fun activities occurring throughout this year’s Jelly Jam, including a presentation at CIEE by Smithsonian scientists, a Science Cafe at Karels’ Beach Bar, snorkeling and diving with scientists during the day and evenings, and an evening dinner.

Of special interest in this year’s event is the Alatina Outreach. Alatina is a swarming species of box jellyfish (Cubozoan) that appears eight to ten days after the full moon. The swarming is actually a type of “speed dating” for reproductive purposes. If the zygotes are successfully collected, they will be raised in the CIEE lab. During last year’s Jelly Jam, a specimen of Tamoya ohboya, the new species of box jelly discovered first on Bonaire, also known as the Bonaire Banded Box Jelly or BBBJ, was collected under specific permits with STINAPA and DROB.

This year’s Jelly Jam is sponsored by Eco Sunscreen, EcoSMART Insect Repellant, and Burn-BGone. For more information and specific dates and times for events, please email: cubozoan@earthlink.net. (Source: Bud Gillan)