Fish

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Although few kinds of fish live in Antarctic waters, this a kind of fish that lives in the Antarctic, and in all oceans, in deep water. It is small, about 4 inches, and is called a myctophid. (Photo by T. Sutton, Harbor Branch Ocenographic Institution)

There are not many kinds of Antarctic fish. Some are found right within and under the ice, and have antifreeze compounds in their blood. Some of the fish are Antarctic cod. Others are Icefish, which are different from other vertebrates, because their blood doesn’t have red blood cells. Another fish, the Patagonian toothfish, often called “Chilean sea bass” by restaurants, lives at depths of 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). They have been heavily depleted by long-line fishing, a way of fishing that also kills many sea birds, especially albatrosses. Fishing for these fish is now regulated.

Fish in the Antarctic fill many roles. They eat krill, smaller fish, crustaceans, including krill, bottom-dwelling invertebrates; sometimes salps and jellyfish; and ice algae. What eats fish? Most other Antarctic predators, including squid; other fish; birds, including penguins; seals; and whales—and as larvae, they are eaten by jellyfish; ctenophores; large crustaceans; other fish; and most things larger than they are.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii

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