A WEYMOUTH marine expert can't wait for an invasion of jellyfishes expected to hit Dorset's coast.

Marine biology graduate Ruth Dawson, from Weymouth Sea Life Park, is hoping for help from fishermen to collect samples of the marine creatures.

Blooms of compass, moon and blue jellyfish have been spotted off the south coast and could be headed for the Dorset coastline.

Ruth, 24, is hoping the influx could deliver some fresh samples for her work at the Sea Life Park, where her title is resident jellyfish technician.

She said that she recently became the first British marine expert to successfully cultivate compass jellyfish eggs and develop them into baby jellyfish.

Ruth explained: "It's a process called strobilation, which is incredibly difficult to achieve in captivity with most jellyfish because the temperature and chemical balance has to be just right for them."

Ruth, who joined the Weymouth Sea Life team a year ago after graduating in marine biology from Hull University, has now grown around half-a-dozen young compass jellyfish and would be grateful for more adults so she can carry on her work.

The compass jellyfish is bell-shaped, normally a yellowish brown colour with brown markings, and usually has more than 20 long tentacles.

The moon jellyfish are normally blue or pink transparent saucer-shaped creatures with a short tube on the underside, while the blue jellyfish is a relation of the compass species and can measure up to 12 inches across.

Unlike the moon jellyfish, which is relatively harmless, the compass jellyfish can inflict a painful sting and bathers are advised to avoid them if at all possible.

But Ruth would be extremely grateful if any fishermen are safely able to obtain any live samples of compass jellyfish and deliver them to her at the Sea Life Park, as she normally has to wait for shipments from Japan for her work. She said: "Naturally I'm keen to get hold of more adults so we can get more eggs and try to cultivate them on bigger numbers.

"There are several different sub-species of compass jellyfish and those in UK waters at present are probably not the same as those I'm already rearing. I'm not fussy though, and if they're going to virtually swim up to the back door then I'll definitely have a few."