Scientists Antarctica have made a surprising and welcome discovery - the world's largest breeding ground fish. Researchers Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute Polar and Marine Research came the fish while mapping the seabed the Antarctic Weddell Sea. They discovered schools around 60 million icefish breeding in an area roughly 240 square kilometers in size. The research team had been towing a number of cameras to a depth 530 metres under the Weddell Sea months. Deep-sea biologist Autun Purser commented on the find. He said: "The idea that such a huge breeding area icefish in the Weddell Sea was previously undiscovered is totally fascinating."
The researchers have been exploring the region hoping to establish it as an official Marine Protected Area. They say the seas are a unique habitat that must be preserved. They want to prevent fishing and invasive research to keep the waters as pristine as possible. A recent University Cambridge study found that fishing trawlers Antarctica are bringing millions "hitch-hiking" species 1,500 ports the globe. These are threatening the area's fragile eco-systems. A researcher said: "So far, the remoteness and difficult sea-ice conditions this southernmost area...have protected it, but...we should be much more ambitious marine conservation."
