A breeding colony of 60 million fish has been discovered in Antarctica’s ice-covered Weddell Sea – a unique and previously unknown ecosystem that covers an area the size of Malta.
The fascinating find shows how little is known about the ocean depths.
The vast colony, believed to be the world’s largest, is home to the remarkable icefish (Neopagetopsis ionah), which has a see-through skull and transparent blood. Icefish are the only vertebrates to have no red blood cells.
To survive at such low temperatures, it has evolved an anti-freeze protein in its transparent blood that stops ice crystals from growing.
The breeding colony was discovered in February 2021 by the German polar research vessel Polarstern, which was surveying the seabed about half a kilometre below the ship. It used a car-sized camera system attached to the stern of the ship that transmits pictures up to the deck as it’s being towed.
The expedition was focused on ocean currents and the discovery of the nests, made distinct from the muddy seabed by a circle of stones, was a surprise.
“We just saw fish nest after fish nest for the whole four hours, and during that time we covered maybe six kilometresof the sea floor,” said Autun Purser, a postdoctoral reseacher atthe Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany. He’s the lead author of a study on the icefish colony that published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday.
“I’d never seen anything like it in 15 years of being an ocean scientist,” Purser said. “After that dive, we emailed the experts on shore who know about fish like this. They said, yep, this is pretty unique.”
DRAMATIC EXTENT
Four further camera dives revealed the dramatic extent of the breeding colony – and its striking uniform nature.
“This is indeed a surprising discovery,” said John Postlethwait, a professor of biology at the University of Oregon, who studies the fish. He wasn’t involved in the research.
“It is also significant. The extent of the biomass is to me at least unexpected. And the extent to which the fish change the bottom structure of sediment creates [a] habitat for a community that ripples up the foodweb to support a huge variety of species,” he added.
The colony covers more than 240 square kilometres, the researchers said.With, on average, one nest for every three square metres, they estimated that the colony includes about 60 million active nests.
Each of the evenly spaced nests was about 15 centimetres deep and 75 centimetres in diameter, contained on average 1,735 eggs. Most were guarded by one adult fish. Some nests only contained eggs, and some were unused.
“The spacing of the nests is kinda like the spacing of birds on a telephone line,” Postlethwait added via email.
“Some animals like to be social, but there’s a limit. Congregating may give them advantages for finding mates but provides a rich point source for predation.”
The fish appear to be attracted by an area of warmer water, which is around 2 C warmer than the surrounding sea bed, which is a chilly 0 C, said Purser. Sea water freezes at a lower temperatre than fresh water.
The researchers have deployed two camera systems to monitor the icefish nests until a research vessel returns. The hope is that photographs will catch more details about the fish nest ecosystem.
One questionresearchers want to answer is how long the adult fish guard the eggs – experts suspect it could be months – and whether it was the male or female standing watch.
“It appears that that the reproductive behaviour of most, if not all, icefishes, revolves around male courtship of females through building a ‘good’ nest, said icefish expert H. William Detrich, professor emeritus of biochemistry and marine biology at Northeastern University, via email. He wasn’t involved in the research.
The findings reveal a globally unique ecosystem, according to the researchers, and they say it should be designated a protected area.
“The implications for conservation of this species are clear — a marine protected area should be established in the Weddell Sea to prevent exploitation of this icefish species, ” Detrich added.
SEAL FOOD?
While the Weddell Sea is covered with sea ice all year round, the ice is relatively thin – three feet thick – meaning that photosynthesis can still take place and life canthrive. Purser said the Weddell Sea floor is far from barren, with sea sponges, corals, octopuses and star fish lurking along the seabed.
Around 2,000 seals also live in the area and likely dive in the breeding area and feed on the icefish, he said, although they didn’t have definitive evidence.
Purser said while there were species of freshwater fish that make similar kinds of nest, scientists had “never seen any colonies like this in the deep sea.”
“I guess we’ve only filmed maybe 1 per cent of the Weddell Sea floor, and who knows what else is hidden around the place. I am convinced there’s many gaps in our knowledge of the deep sea.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
