‘Nothing but fish nests’: huge icefish colony found in Antarctic sea

‘Nothing but fish nests’: huge icefish colony found in Antarctic sea

By Mabel Banfield-Nwachi

Source: theguardian

1/13/2022

Credit: Alfred Wegener Institute

Researchers exploring Antarctica’s seabed have discovered a thriving, unprecedented colony of icefish “about a third of the size of London”.

The surprise discovery of about 60 million active nests was made by a team of biologists while collecting routine data at 1.5-2.5 metres above the seafloor of Antarctica’s southern Weddell Sea. Before this discovery, the largest found colony contained only 60 nests.

“We expected to see the normal Antarctic seafloor … [but] during the first four hours of our dive, we saw nothing but fish nests,” said Autun Purser, of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany, and lead author of the study published in Current Biology.

The ecosystem was found by accident using the ocean floor observation and bathymetry system, a large, towed camera device that records photos, videos and takes measurements of deep-sea habitats.

Researchers were initially interested in the area because of a process called upwelling, in which wind and currents bring cold water to the surface, causing the water to be 2C warmer than the surrounding area.

Purser suggested the fish may use this warmer water as a navigational tool to help track the colony. “When they feel like reproducing, they look for this warmer water and reproduce there,” he said.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
3326	Триллион тонн пресной воды. Ученые составили график разрушения суперайсберга	bbc	2022-01-20	US
3327	‘That fish changes everything’: Inner Bay of Fundy salmon found in Windsor’s Lake Pisiquid	saltwire	2018-08-03	CA
3328	РЖД в 2021 году нарастила поставки дальневосточной рыбы на запад России	kommersant	2022-01-18	RU
3329	Anglers in Naples upset with new fishing rules on the pier	winknews	2021-12-27	US
3330	Social media posts on ‘dangerous’ fish in the Red Sea	Egypt Independent	2021-12-27	EG
3331	Thailand Customer says a fish was swimming in a sealed jug of drinking water	thethaiger	2021-12-20	TH
3332	Goby fish can act like Goldilocks, too	indianapublicmedia	2021-12-20	IN
3333	Jeremy Wade: ‘I self-published a book and lost my life savings’	telegraph	2021-12-19	UK
3334	исследовательская группа обнаружила крупнейшую в мире колонию рыбы.	Current biology	2022-01-14	RU
3335	Fighting illegal fishing: the deal helping to close 'the black hole in the sea'	euronews	2021-12-21	CI
3336	Rare pufferfish found cold-stunned in San Diego waters on the way to recovery	fox5sandiego	2021-12-23	US
3337	All female fishing club grows to more than 450 members strong	wbay	2021-12-27	US
3338	Fish Poisoning On The Rise As The World Turns, Lawsuit Slams Whiskey Joe’s Tampa	tampafp	2021-12-21	US
3339	This Illinois Man Catches Fish with His Bare Hands	khmoradio	2021-11-12	US
3340	Мексиканским специалистам удалось вернуть в естественную среду обитания вымерший вид «рыбы-текилы»	hightech	2022-01-03	MX
3341	Canadian Cory Johnston captures first Bassmaster fishing title	ctvnews	2021-09-11	US
3342	Fisher loses record after massive catfish eaten	ctvnews	2021-09-29	US
3343	Concerns raised by salmon group over discoveries of farmed fish in East Coast rivers	cbc	2021-12-03	CA
3344	B.C. man receives lifetime fishing ban	fishncanada	2021-12-25	CA
3345	Ученые обнаружили, что рыбы-лучники умеют считать	RG	2021-12-29	IT
3346	Mississippi state confirms 4 new fishing records, some set by children	Fox News	2021-12-28	US
3347	На Байкале предлагают навсегда запретить промышленный вылов омуля	Рыболовство	2021-12-27	RU
3348	Scripps researchers hope rare fish can give glimpse of deep-ocean diet	10news	2021-12-15	US
3349	It’s no fish tale: Sausalito charter fishing captain to retire after 50 years	Marin Independent Journal	2021-12-18	US
3350	Avid angler makes bamboo fishing rods	gillettenewsrecord	2021-12-19	US

133 of [136 - pages.]