Goiter blacksmelt
Encyclopedia
The Goiter blacksmelt is a type of Deep Sea smelt, the genera Bathylagidae.
It is the biomass dominant pelagic fish over the Mid Atlantic Ridge when the entire water column is fully considered.
The water-column in which it resides can be up to 3000 metres deep. No topographic trapping can be carried on on the species as they do not vertically migrate.
Interestingly, despite the fact that one would expect the abundancy of Bathylagus species to decrease with increasing depth, there are just as many individuals at depths of over 2000m as there are close to the surface. This staggering statistic enables us to bring forward ideas concerning how currents affect the distribution of species at different depths in the water column. From here, we can begin to further explore the mysteries of deep dwelling ocean species and marvel at how dispersal and recruitment can actually take place in these seemingly inhospitable conditions.
It is the biomass dominant pelagic fish over the Mid Atlantic Ridge when the entire water column is fully considered.
The water-column in which it resides can be up to 3000 metres deep. No topographic trapping can be carried on on the species as they do not vertically migrate.
Interestingly, despite the fact that one would expect the abundancy of Bathylagus species to decrease with increasing depth, there are just as many individuals at depths of over 2000m as there are close to the surface. This staggering statistic enables us to bring forward ideas concerning how currents affect the distribution of species at different depths in the water column. From here, we can begin to further explore the mysteries of deep dwelling ocean species and marvel at how dispersal and recruitment can actually take place in these seemingly inhospitable conditions.