In the ocean’s twilight zone, a fish that could feed the world – or destroy it – The Guardian

In 1789, the explorers Alessandro Malaspina and José de Bustamante set sail from Cádiz on Spain’s first scientific expedition around the world. For five years, Malaspina and Bustamante studied and collected animals and plants across the Spanish empire, which stretched alon…….

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In 1789, the explorers Alessandro Malaspina and José de Bustamante set sail from Cádiz on Spain’s first scientific expedition Throughout the globe. For 5 yrs, Malaspina and Bustamante studied And picked up animals and crops across the Spanish empire, which stretched alongside the North, Central and South American Pacific coasts, and westwrestleds to the Philippines.

In 2010, ancompletely different Spanish expedition set off from Cádiz, tracing a lot of The distinctive route and researching whOn the oceans are like right now.

The group meaconstructived pollution, plastics and chemical compounds that Weren’t there in Malaspina and Bustamante’s time. They collected samples of seawater and plankton. And All by way of the 31,000-mile voyage, the ship’s sonar was switched on, listening for echoes from under. Their chief tarwill get? Small silver fish That Seem as if sardines or anchovies – solely with hugeger eyes and rows of spots that glow Inside the lifeless of Evening time.

A school of lanternfish. Photograph: Oar/Nationwide Undersea Evaluation Program

They’re lanternfish: there are about 250 species They typically Do not appear to be solely In all probability the Commonest fish in the oceans’ twimild zone However the most plentiful vertebrates on the planet. Large numbers have been first noticed Through the second world wrestle, when naval sonar operators noticed echoes from what Appeared to be a strong seabed, One which rose to the floor at Evening time and fell again down at daybreak. Truly, the pulses …….

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/29/into-the-twilight-zone-lanternfish-the-fish-that-could-feed-the-world-or-destroy-it