‘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
101	Virginia floating pier nears completion	echopress	2024-10-28	US
102	fisheries supervisor floats introducing muskie to Kandiyohi County lake	echopress	2024-10-18	US
103	Chasing Winnipesaukee Landlocked Salmon	indepthnh	2024-10-28	US
104	Canadian government awards CAD 830,000 for Quebec fisheries projects	seafoodsource	2024-10-24	CA
105	MDC to stock nearly 10,400 rainbow trout in five urban lakes	einnews	2024-10-28	US
106	Americans fined $8K for illegal fishing in Canadian waters	CTV News	2024-10-25	CA
107	Surfer Giulia Manfrini dies after being impaled by a needlefish in Indonesia	9news	2024-10-22	AU
108	Giant Fish Thought to Be Extinct Is Spotted in the Mekong River	Associated Press	2024-10-22	CO
109	The tilapia hatchery that runs in the family	thefishsite	2024-08-28	EG
110	Puffer has lived 2 lifetimes at Everett library	heraldnet	2024-10-28	US
111	Record-breaking Black Buffalo fish caught in Stockton Lake	khqa	2024-10-18	US
112	Роскосмос отслеживает загрязнение реки Ямуна в Индии	hightech.fm	2024-10-25	RU
113	Nick Lindner talks ice fishing, career ahead of F-M Walleyes Unlimited talk	echopress	2024-10-16	CA
114	How the invasive spiny water flea spread across Canada, and what we can do about it	theconversation	2024-10-16	CA
115	Fishermen save fish from surprising, painful situation	thenewstribune	2024-10-17	US
116	US scientists explore hidden hydrogen treasure 5,000 feet below Lake Superior	Interesting Engineering	2024-10-17	US
117	Canadaway Creek brook trout stocking is Saturday	observertoday	2024-10-16	US
118	Canada proposes pilot project for Maritimes elver fishery	undercurrentnews	2024-10-16	CA
119	Fly fishing is gaining in popularity for married couples and hikers	campbellrivermirror	2024-10-16	DE
120	How climate change threat is being tackled by Scotlands salmon farmers	scotsman	2024-10-01	UK
121	Oyster farmers find northernmost blue angelfish ever reported off the coast of Cape Cod	boston	2024-10-02	US
122	Fish firm filmed burying salmon on Scottish island beach illegally	thenational	2024-10-03	UK
123	Giant floating wind farms could destroy fishing industry	stv	2024-10-03	UK
124	Dozens of fish died near the Kensington mine.	juneauempire	2024-10-04	US
125	Some fish relocated as Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro launches major $7 million upgrade	Daily Breeze	2024-09-30	US