Under the jellyfish spell
Marie-Lyne Deshaies spends most of her time with jellyfish. Indeed, the aquarist animal guide at Aquarium du Québec has made jellyfish culture her specialty. For this lover of marine life, they have no secrets…or practically none!
Since she was a little girl, Marie-Lyne has been passionate about animals. A native of Montréal, she adopted the Biodome as her quiet retreat, a place that allowed her to be in touch with nature. A little further away, in Ottawa, the Canadian Museum of Nature and its dinosaur fossils intrigued her just as much.
Aquarium du Québec
Love at first sight at Aquarium du Québec
In early adulthood, she began studying bioecology in the technical program at CEGEP de Saint-Laurent. With her diploma in hand, she moved to Québec City and, shortly thereafter, she was seduced by her first visit to Aquarium du Québec.
"I arrived at noon and left at closing time. I talked to the animal guide team and asked them what it takes to work here. When I left, I said to myself, 'This is where I want to work!’ "she recalls.
At the age of 23, she landed a student job as a conservation assistant. It was the beginning of a beautiful romance.
Her favourites: spotted jellyfish
Marie-Lyne began her career as an assistant aquarist animal guide at the Deep Sea Pavilion, which had just opened to the public. She received the gift of working in an incredible world: feeding seahorses; rubbing shoulders with stingrays; taking care of the cultivation of artemia nauplii, the little shrimp larvae that jellyfish feed on... She ADORED her job!
Then… love at first sight! She fell under the spell of jellyfish, especially the spotted variety. These great ladies of the sea, with their bluish umbrella dotted with white spots, captivated her. She experienced a great first with them, since she managed to induce them to reproduce, a novel feat at Aquarium du Québec. Previously, new jellyfish came from other aquariums.
Over time, the young employee built up a storehouse of knowledge about the intriguing reproduction cycle of jellyfish. She discovered that these creatures have 13 different methods to go forth and multiply. She quickly became the aquarist's animal guide tasked with the cultivation of jellyfish.
Conferences abroad, coaching with an expert from the Vancouver Aquarium, participation in discussion forums with specialists – Marie-Lyne would leave no stone unturned to demystify the secrets of her favourite marine animals.
Taking good care of her protégés
On a daily basis, Marie-Lyne ensures the proper maintenance of the jellyfish tanks and closely monitors the quality and circulation of the water. These tasks are essential to the well-being of the jellyfish.
How does she make sure that her protégés are healthy? The signals are not always easy to read, but they are there.
"The more you work with animals, the sharper your eye becomes," she explains. “If I come in and my jellyfish are pulsing slowly, I ask myself, ‘Is the current right? Are there too many of them in the tank? Are they short of food?’ It’s in their behaviour and their physiognomy that I see if they’re doing well. I observe if they’re growing properly, if they’re perched on the surface or on the bottom, and that helps me to do whatever fine tuning is required."
Oh jellyfish, where is thy sting?
Those who work with animals have the chance to build a special relationship with them. In the case of jellyfish, interactions are minimal. Direct contact is limited to those notorious stings!
Despite all her precautions, our specialist is stung regularly, once or twice a month. Fortunately, there are no dangerous jellyfish at the Aquarium. However, the stings do cause dermatitis with redness and itching. The remedy? Apply vinegar and rinse with salt water. Marie-Lyne doesn’t let a little sting bother her! Not one bit! After all, you can't stop a heart from loving.
A fascinating discovery
At 32 years old, she has nearly 10 years of experience at the Aquarium, and her valuable expertise extends beyond our borders. For instance, she participated in a joint study with a researcher from Japan.
An unexpected discovery put her on an interesting track. "We found an organism in a seahorse tank that looked like a small anemone. I was intrigued by its behaviour. I did some research and found a specialist in Japan to help me out. In the end, it was a stalked jellyfish of the class Stauroza!" she recalls.
The two women identified stages of the reproductive cycle never before observed in this species. The discovery makes the animal guide very proud indeed.
Completely spellbound
Even today, Marie-Lyne is fascinated by these creatures that have no heart, no skeleton, and no brain, but which nevertheless have certain similarities with humans. For example, the moon jellyfish has organs that sense the earth's gravity, a role played by our vestibular system, located in the inner ear. This is the reason why these jellyfish have already been sent into space.
Another property of jellyfish that piques our curiosity: they’re rich in proteins, salts, minerals, and antioxidants. Who knows… maybe one day they’ll find their way onto your plate! In some Asian countries, they’re a very popular dish. Marie-Lyne has already eaten them. Her verdict: they make pretty bland fare!
On your next visit to the Aquarium, when you spot the jellyfish tanks of the Deep Sea Pavilion, don't hide your joy. Marie-Lyne loves to watch visitors become captivated by the beauty of the jellyfish. Their cries of "Wow" and "Amazing!" fill this jellyfish enthusiast with pure bliss.