With a stock estimated at 1,000 million tons so far, mesopelagic（海洋中层的） fish dominate the total biomass of fish in the ocean. However, a team of researchers with the participation¹ of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has found that their abundance could be at least 10 times higher. The results, published in Nature Communications journal, are based on the acoustic² observations conducted during the circumnavigation（周游世界） of the Malaspina Expedition. Mesopelagic fishes, such as lantern fishes (Myctophidae) and cyclothonids (Gonostomatidae), live in the twilight³ zone of the ocean, between 200 and 1,000 meters deep. They are the most numerous vertebrates of the biosphere⁴, but also the great unknowns of the open ocean, since there are gaps in the knowledge of their biology, ecology, adaptation and global biomass.

 

During the 32,000 nautical⁵ miles traveled during the circumnavigation, the researchers of the Malaspina Expedition (a project led by CSIC researcher Carlos Duarte) took measurements between 40°N and 40°S, from 200 to 1,000 meters deep, during the day.

 

Duarte states: "Malaspina has provided us the unique opportunity to assess the stock of mesopelagic fish in the ocean. Until now we only had the data provided by trawling（拖网作业）. It has recently been discovered that these fishes are able to detect the nets and run, which turns trawling into a biased⁶ tool when it comes to count its biomass."

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