Director of the Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Service, Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin, said images taken at Eden Wharf recently are of a number of species, including one possibly new to science.

“Most of the jellyfish in the pictures are brown, red, but there is a white one, both with hanging down structures or oral arms,” she said.

While Dr Gershwin identified the white jellyfish as Desmonema scoresbyanna, a species she named and classified in 2008, the others were less recognizable.

“I’m not sure what the brown one is,” Dr Gershwin said.

“It’s a Cyanea species likely to be new to science.

“I know of six Cyanea species in Australian waters, but there is probably around 20 out there.”

Already this year Dr Gershwin has been sent four photographs of Desmonema in NSW, which she said is highly unusual for the rare species.

In fact the first photograph of a live Desmonema in Australian waters was taken off Tuncurry's breakwall by Forster's Vicki Stewart in October this year.

Dr Gershwin has described more than 200 species of jellyfish and the Victorian Burrunan dolphin, during her time as a biologist.

“If anyone catches one and is able to store it in formaldehyde and forward it to the Australian Museum in Sydney it would be great to know what they are,” Dr Gershwin said.

Dr Gershwin said water disturbances such as over fishing, nutrient overload, coastal construction and effluent overload  are leading to an increased number of the invertebrates.

“Jellyfish have unbelievably low respiration rates and when you take away their predators they do very well,” she said.

“Seasonal warming or prolonged warming amps up their metabolism so they grow more and live longer.

“Aquaculture facilities, ports and structures also give them more places to settle.”

She said jellyfish polyps prefer artificial surfaces over natural ones such as rock, and scientists are struggling to understand why.

“It’s the weirdest thing ever,” she said.

She was surprised by the number of jellyfish in the images taken off Eden Wharf this early in the season.

“Whenever it looks like you can walk across them then there’s a lot,” she said.

“’Tis the season to be jolly.”