Overview
- A peer-reviewed study released October 29 reports that 2019 ROV footage recorded more than 1,000 maintained yellowfin notie (Lindbergichthys nudifrons) nests across five sites in the western Weddell Sea.
- The circular nests were swept clean of seafloor detritus and arranged in repeated shapes—clusters, crescents, lines, ovals and U-shapes—rather than randomly distributed.
- Researchers interpret the layouts as reproductive and anti-predator behavior consistent with the selfish herd theory, with parents guarding eggs during extended incubation.
- Access to the site followed the 2017 calving of the A68 iceberg from the Larsen C Ice Shelf; the nests were filmed by the ROV Lassie during the 2019 expedition that also sought Shackleton’s Endurance, later found in 2022.
- Authors say the organized breeding grounds provide evidence of a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem and reinforce proposals before CCAMLR for a Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area, while stressing the data come from limited video and need follow-up surveys.