Caring for Sea Jellies

When Josh Wagner started at the Aquarium in 2011, he had no idea he would later become the Aquarium’s resident sea jelly expert. Fifteen years and many a sting later, he has been instrumental in blazing new territory for the care of sea jellies and making Jelly Dreamscapes a reality.

Wagner started his journey at the Aquarium growing food for sea jellies, eventually transitioning to their care. What began as a general interest in marine animals quickly became a passion for everything sea jelly. He fell in love not just with the jellies themselves, but also the science behind their care. His dedication led him to become the Aquarium’s first official Jelly Culture Coordinator.

Wagner quickly found that taking care of and breeding jellies comes with challenges and even some lessons in chemistry. Their short lifespans and different life stages required careful observation, testing many habitat and water modifications, and developing adaptations for each specific species and in each of their life stages. Both these challenges and the joys of success fueled his passion for jellies.

Wagner’s love for sea jellies also comes whenever new species arrive that are collected from blackwater dives, which are in the open ocean at night. Tethered to a boat, our dive team goes down about thirty feet and uses floodlights to attract the jellies. These night dives allow the team to find rare or interesting species to share with Wagner for breeding and culturing that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to find during the day.

Raising and nurturing jellies at the Aquarium has allowed them to live longer than their lifespan in the wild—and is producing lots and lots of jellies! So many that we have been able to provide some to other aquariums and, most importantly, allowed us to create the largest and most diverse jelly exhibit in the Aquarium’s history. At any one time, we may be raising behind-the-scenes up to 40 species of jellies in their various life stages.

With the opening of Jelly Dreamscapes, Wagner and his team are working with many species that he is thrilled to put a spotlight on. One is a colorful Japanese species of moon jelly that lives in the deep sea.

All this work with sea jellies has led Wagner to his fair share of stings. All true jellies and hydrozoan jellies have nematocysts, which are stinging cells. They each look like a tiny venomous harpoon, and it’ll fire upon touch. Jellies sting to catch prey or for self-defense.

His biggest defense against stings is wearing latex gloves. But sometimes the tentacles can reach up his arm, leaving him with a burning sensation and a welt as a souvenir. According to Wagner, “The stings don’t hurt too bad anymore—or maybe I’ve just gotten used to them.”

Despite the occasional sting and all the challenges of raising them, the jellies are his favorite coworkers to greet every day. “Their delicate nature makes them unique from any other marine animal and helping them thrive makes every sting worth it.”

As you explore Jelly Dreamscapes, take a moment to reflect on the passion and dedication of Josh Wagner and our entire animal care team who made this remarkable experience possible for both us and the sea jellies themselves.