Jellyfish most are nowhere near that large). They have a moderately painful, but rarely fatal, sting. The increasingly common giant Nomura's jellyfish, "Nemopilema nomurai", found in some, but not all years in the waters of Japan, Korea and China in summer and autumn is another candidate for "largest jellyfish", in terms of diameter and weight, since the largest Nomura's jellyfish in late autumn can reach in bell (body) diameter and about in weight, with average specimens frequently reaching in bell diameter and about in weight. The large bell mass of the giant Nomura's jellyfish can dwarf a diver and is nearly
Jellyfish harvested for food, mostly in southeast Asia. Rhizostomes, especially "Rhopilema esculentum" in China ( "hǎizhé", "sea stingers") and "Stomolophus meleagris" (cannonball jellyfish) in the United States, are favored because of their larger and more rigid bodies and because their toxins are harmless to humans. Traditional processing methods, carried out by a jellyfish master, involve a 20- to 40-day multi-phase procedure in which, after removing the gonads and mucous membranes, the umbrella and oral arms are treated with a mixture of table salt and alum, and compressed. Processing makes the jellyfish drier and more acidic, producing a crispy texture. Jellyfish prepared