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