They calculate that mesopelagic ocean fish are ten times more abundant than they thought

2014/02/07 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia
• Biologia
• Ozeanografia

It is estimated that the stock of fish of the planet amounted to 2,000 million tons, of which half would correspond to mesopelagic fish, which are found in oceanic zones at a depth of between 200 and 1,000 meters. However, a recent research has revealed that mesopelagic fish are much more abundant than they considered: instead of reaching 1,000 million tons, they calculate that biomass is 10,000 million tons.

In this new calculation, AZTI-Tecnalia researchers led by the doctor in oceanography Xabier Irigoien participated. They report that the acoustic data of the Malaspina expedition and a trophic model have been used for the calculation and that the biomass of these fish is at least 10 times higher than the one previously calculated. It should be noted that mesopelagic fish are not fished for commercial purposes.

On the other hand, taking into account the participation of these fish in the cycle of carbon dioxide and oxygen, it has been warned that the role of biomass should be evaluated again in the biogeochemical cycles of the ocean.

The results of the research have been published in the journal Nature Communications.