World’s Largest Fish Nesting Ground With 60 Million Nests Discovered Under Antarctic ice

Icefish are special not only due to them being the only known vertebrates that lack red blood cells containing hemoglobin (hence the name white-blooded icefish), but also because they have a protein-based antifreeze in their blood (white in color and nearly see-through, by the way) which makes life for them under the Antarctic ice shelf feasible. So much so, that the nesting ground discovered by the researchers is as big as the Island of Malta, with one breeding site per 3 square meters (32.3 square feet).

Estimates from the Polarstern‘s observations put the number of nests at the nesting ground at around 60 million, demonstrating that the area is a vital one for the species and a marine environment worthy of protection. A proposal to establish a Marine Protected Area here has been under consideration since 2016 by the European Union and the international Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), but unfortunately it hasn’t happened yet.

“The idea that such a huge breeding area of icefish in the Weddell Sea was previously undiscovered is totally fascinating,” said Purser, lead author of the study, in a statement.