‘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
4076	True facts about the anglerfish	gizmodo	2012-12-28	US
4077	Transgenic fish wins US regulatory backing A fast-growing salmon moves closer to approval after a fishy delay.	nature	2012-12-22	US
4078	Fisherman towed out to sea while catching record 29lb fish	telegraph	2012-12-21	US
4079	Mesh pens don't overcrowd salmon: MUN researcher	CBC News	2012-12-20	CA
4080	Tay salmon anglers accused of harassing canoeists	The Courier Reporter	2012-12-18	UK
4081	Proposal to prohibit use of carbon monoxide as a fish processing aid	voxy	2012-12-18	NZ
4082	PolitiFact calls claims of menhaden declines “Mostly False”, is completely wrong	southernfriedscience	2012-12-17	US
4083	Truck driver records collision with giant fish falling from sky	usatoday	2021-04-16	CA
4084	Changing environment may be to blame for reduced fish populations	thecordovatimes	2021-04-09	CA
4085	3 people banned from fishing anywhere in Canada after overfishing violations near Nootka Sound	CBC News	2021-04-11	CA
4086	NOAA needs leader who can talk to fishermen	bostonglobe	2012-12-17	US
4087	Blind cat fish species discovered	BBC Tamil Service	2012-12-13	CA
4088	445-pound yellowfin tuna largest ever caught on rod and reel	petethomasoutdoors	2012-12-09	CA
4089	Watch this catfish go completely orca on a pigeon	gizmodo	2012-12-06	FR
4090	Norway's rakfisk: Is this the world's smelliest fish?	BBC News	2012-12-01	NO
4091	Robocod: Homeland Security adds underwater drones to their arsenal with robots based on fish	dailymail	2012-11-28	UK
4092	Man nearly dies in Browns River near Courtenay after he and 2 dogs fall in	cheknews	2018-11-13	CA
4093	How Microfishing Took the Angling World by (Very Small) Storm	hakaimagazine	2021-04-13	US
4094	Ousted Kentucky Fish and Wildlife chief back on the job with a $140,000+ contract	kentucky	2021-04-15	US
4095	Tennessee angler reels in 30-year-old sturgeon while fishing for catfish	Fox News	2021-04-15	US
4096	Red Indian Lake in central Newfoundland to be renamed	saltwire	2021-04-23	CA
4097	New Fish Species Discovered: Roosevelt, Carter, Clinton, Gore and Obama	sci-news	2012-11-19	CA
4098	Southeast Asian ships caught illegally transferring fish	Scoop Media	2012-11-15	NZ
4099	Totally Golden: Take a trip to the Blaeberry	thegoldenstar	2019-11-05	CA
4100	Anglers say wind farm has benefited fishing	cranstononline	2021-04-07	US

163 of [218 - pages.]