Large mesopelagic fishes biomass and trophic efficiency in the open ocean

Xabier Irigoien (), T. A. Klevjer, A. Røstad, U. Martinez, G. Boyra, J. L. Acuña, A. Bode, F. Echevarria, J. I. Gonzalez-Gordillo, S. Hernandez-Leon, S. Agusti, D. L. Aksnes, C. M. Duarte and S. Kaartvedt
Additional contact information
Xabier Irigoien: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center
T. A. Klevjer: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center
A. Røstad: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center
U. Martinez: AZTI, Arrantza eta Elikaigintzarako Institutu Teknologikoa, Herrera Kaia Portualdea
G. Boyra: AZTI, Arrantza eta Elikaigintzarako Institutu Teknologikoa, Herrera Kaia Portualdea
J. L. Acuña: Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, Sin Número
A. Bode: Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de A Coruña, Apdo 130
F. Echevarria: Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR)
J. I. Gonzalez-Gordillo: Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales, Universidad de Cádiz, Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar (CEI·MAR)
S. Hernandez-Leon: Institute of Oceanography and Global Change, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus Universitario de Tafira
S. Agusti: The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia
D. L. Aksnes: University of Bergen
C. M. Duarte: The UWA Oceans Institute and School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia
S. Kaartvedt: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Research Center

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract With a current estimate of ~1,000 million tons, mesopelagic fishes likely dominate the world total fishes biomass. However, recent acoustic observations show that mesopelagic fishes biomass could be significantly larger than the current estimate. Here we combine modelling and a sensitivity analysis of the acoustic observations from the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition to show that the previous estimate needs to be revised to at least one order of magnitude higher. We show that there is a close relationship between the open ocean fishes biomass and primary production, and that the energy transfer efficiency from phytoplankton to mesopelagic fishes in the open ocean is higher than what is typically assumed. Our results indicate that the role of mesopelagic fishes in oceanic ecosystems and global ocean biogeochemical cycles needs to be revised as they may be respiring ~10% of the primary production in deep waters.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4271

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