‘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
4026	Jaws-ome strength: Moment shark drags fisherman overboard and capsizes kayak after 20-minute battle	dailymail	2021-04-20	UK
4027	Poacher busted with $5,000 worth of fish by snorkeling Calif. officer loses license	sfgate	2021-04-23	US
4028	EU audit reveals ‘manipulation’ of fish catch weights in Ireland	irishtimes	2021-04-20	IR
4029	Asian carp more adaptable than first thought or evolving	wbaa	2013-03-19	US
4030	Monster bluefin tuna weighs 415kg	nzherald	2013-03-06	NZ
4031	'Phantom' discards seen skewing fish quotas	gloucestertimes	2013-03-05	UK
4032	Fish farms are ‘wiping out Scotland’s wild salmon’	scotsman	2013-03-04	UK
4033	Sasha's in demand after her fish rescue goes viral	couriermail	2013-03-02	AU
4034	An Awesome 1940s Photo Of Making A Cast Of A Giant Fish	gizmodo	2013-03-01	US
4035	Giant fish weighing more than 67lbs reeled in off Shetland	BBC News	2013-02-26	SW
4036	Thousands seek 50,000-euro jackpot in Estonia fishing test	baltic-course	2013-02-18	ES
4037	The little fish that returned from the brink of extinction	israel21c	2013-02-19	IL
4038	Spokane-based company plucks 1,615 invasive carp from Vancouver Lake	clarkcountytoday	2021-04-20	US
4039	Missouri man catches possible world record breaking spotted gar fish	Fox News	2021-04-20	US
4040	That's a big fish: Record-breaking 271-kg tuna caught off the coast of Australia	timesnownews	2021-04-21	JP
4041	271kg bluefin tuna the ‘biggest ever’ fish sold at Sydney Fish Markets	news	2021-04-21	US
4042	Clowhom River watershed focus of online discussion	coastreporter	2017-02-16	CA
4043	Chilcotin steelhead run near extinction	vancouversun	2020-06-13	CA
4044	Gar fish reveal true age of our eye-brain connection	futurity	2021-04-12	US
4045	N.B. fishing season opens, but outfitters miss international anglers	CBC News	2021-04-15	CA
4046	Tensions rise in water battle along Oregon-California line	opb	2021-04-12	US
4047	New species of fish discovered in ocean trench near NZ	nzherald	2013-02-04	NZ
4048	Salmon virus poses no risk to U.S. exports: CFIA	CBC News	2013-02-01	CA
4049	Astonishing pictures of the bizarre creatures that lurk deep beneath the ocean waves	dailymail	2013-01-30	UK
4050	Historic cod fishing cuts threaten centuries-old industry in New England	CNN	2013-02-04	CA

161 of [218 - pages.]