More fish in the darkness of the ocean 10 times more than previously thought

Small fish that inhabit the mid-depth ocean, between 200 and a thousand feet below the water surface, and are the most numerous vertebrate biosphere. But little is yet known of its biology and even their abundance, the researchers write in the Spanish Malaspina expedition that have been now released a new estimate of their biomass.

 The data collected during the expedition's circumnavigation on board research vessels Hesperides and Sarmiento de Gamboa (between December 2010 and July 2011), scientists have concluded that previous estimates (based mainly on catches of trawling) biomass of these fish, about one billion tons, fall far short of reality as it could be around 10,000 million.

Xabier Irigoien , researcher at the University King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia , and colleagues , presented today in the journal Nature Communications their work and results obtained by analysis of data obtained during the expedition echosounder with computer models and show " that biomass mesopelagic fish in the open ocean is about one order of magnitude higher than previously estimated . " The records were taken between 40 degrees North and 40 degrees South latitude , from 200 to one thousand meters deep and day. These fish come out at night to the upper layers of the ocean to feed and return to the depths day to avoid predators .

" Malaspina has offered us a unique opportunity to assess the stock of mesopelagic fish in the ocean opportunity ," says Carlos Duarte, leader of the expedition . "So far our disposal only the data provided by trawling . Recently it has been discovered that these fish are able to detect network and run, which makes trawling in a biased tool when accounting for biomass , "the researcher said in a statement the Higher Council for Scientific Research ( CSIC).

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