Jellyfish farming: A business model that is worthwhile

Jellyfish farming A slippery business model As of: November 15, 2026 • 3:58 p.m

For some it is a nuisance on the beach, for others it is a business model: Europe's largest jellyfish farm is located in Eastern Hesse. Why breeding cnidarians is economically worthwhile.

Today there is a jellyfish parade at Alexander Dressel. This is one of the most common tasks he has to do since he started running his jellyfish farm in the tranquil town of Flieden in East Hesse. He uses a pipette to suck in baby jellyfish and then places them in a larger aquarium. In this case, they are three-week-old compass jellyfish. Price per animal: 45 euros.

The demand is great, says Dressel. That's why his "Jellyfish Farm" has moved to larger premises. "The old rooms simply became too small. In the end, every corner was filled with aquariums." Instead of 350 square meters, he now has around 650 square meters at his disposal.

However, the move also means significantly more work. The team has been planning and building the new systems for months, but the technical infrastructure is still a concern. A new compressor that is supposed to reliably supply the aquariums with oxygen is not yet working. But it will be okay, says Dressel confidently.

Europe's largest jellyfish farm is in Hesse Moritz Hartnagel, HR, Hessischer Rundfunk, October 28th, 2026 • 8:15 p.m. Aquariums want jellyfish When Dressel founded his farm in 2019, the trained fish farmer said he invested around 75,000 euros in the setup. The business idea was initially met with skepticism, then Corona came straight away. It has only become clear in recent years that he chose the right animal.

There has been a real jellyfish boom worldwide. The animals are also more in demand in public aquariums than before. “Just a few years ago, everyone just wanted to see sharks, turtles and seahorses in the aquarium. Now jellyfish are at the top of the list,” says Dressel.

Since jellyfish only live for around a year, his customers have to regularly renew their stocks, which in turn brings orders to East Hesse. Dressel now employs three people. They feed the animals, clean the aquariums and support him in developing the business.

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A major order that he implemented in Alesund, Norway, shows how successful his idea has become. Together with partners, Alexander Dressel built an aquarium for the Atlantic Park there in May. The tank is five meters wide and three meters high, making it the largest jellyfish tank in Europe.

Planning for the project took around a year. “It is of course a dimension that we have not worked with before,” says Dressel. The tank is designed for large fire jellyfish, which are native to this region of Norway. Alexander Dressel caught the first inhabitants himself in the harbor basin of Alesund.

For him, such orders are an opportunity, but also an economic challenge, because with larger projects the demands on planning, technology and personnel increase. "When you're a growing company, sometimes orders come in where an order has the same volume as last year's entire sales."

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Dressel also wants to rely more on technology in her own breeding in the future. He is working on a system that uses artificial intelligence to recognize the condition and behavior of animals. Cameras placed in front of the tank are supposed to observe the jellyfish and draw conclusions from what they see.

"We of course feed the software with information: What does a jellyfish look like when it's well? What does it look like when it's full? At the same time, all the water parameters are added," explains Dressel. Among other things, the software is supposed to detect how big the animals are and how many are in the aquarium.

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In addition to breeding AI, Alexander Dressel is also pursuing another project: he wants to turn part of the new premises into a jellyfish museum. The exhibition is intended to make the animals tangible not only for aquarium operators, but also for a wider audience.

Various themed areas are planned that will show different habitats of the animals, such as the tropics, lagoons and mangroves. Interactive activities for children are also planned. For example, you should be able to experience what a jellyfish feels like. According to Dressel's current planning, it should open at the end of 2027.

This topic in the program: hr- Fernsehen | mex. the market magazine | Oct 28, 2026 | 8:15 p.m