| Deep sea fish is a term for fish that
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| | submerged or they are sometimes born in
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| live below the photic zone of the ocean.
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| | shallower water and sink on becoming
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| Examples include the lanternfish,
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| | adults.
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| flashlight fish, cookiecutter shark,
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| | Due to the poor level of photosynthetic
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| bristlemouths, and anglerfish.
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| | light reaching deep sea environments,
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| Environment
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| | most fish need to rely on organic matter
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| Because the photic level zone lies only a
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| | sinking from higher levels, or, in rare
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| few hundred meters below the water, about
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| | cases, hydrothermal vents. This makes the
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| 90% of the ocean volume is invisible to
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| | deep sea much poorer in productivity than
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| humans. The deep sea is also an extremely
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| | shallower regions, with most deep sea
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| hostile environment, with pressures
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| | fish noticeably smaller and have larger
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| between 20 and 1,000 atmospheres (between
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| | mouths and guts than those known to us.
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| 2 and 100 megapascals), temperatures
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| | It has also been found that the deeper a
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| between 3 and 10 degrees Celsius, and a
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| | fish lives, the more jelly-like its flesh
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| lack of carbon dioxide. The fish that
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| | and the more minimal its bone structure.
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| have evolved to adapt to these harsh
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| | This makes them slower and less agile
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| environments are not capable of surviving
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| | than surface fish.
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| in the environments with which humans are
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| | Endangered Species
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| familiar, and any attempts to keep them
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| | A recent study by Canadian scientists
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| in captivity have led to their deaths.
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| | (see reference #3 below), has found five
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| For this reason little is known about
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| | species of deep sea fish – roundnose
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| them, as there are limitations to the
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| | grenadier, onion-eye grenadier, blue
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| amount of fruitful research that can be
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| | hake, spiny eel and spinytail skate –
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| carried out on a dead specimen and deep
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| | to be on the verge of extinction due to
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| sea exploratory equipment is very
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| | the shift of commercial fishing from
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| expensive. As such, many species are
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| | continental shelves to the slopes of the
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| known only to scientists and have
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| | continental shelves, down to depths of
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| therefore retained their scientific
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| | 1600 metres. The slow reproduction of
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| names.
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| | these fish – they reach sexual maturity
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| Characteristics The fish of the deep sea
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| | at about the same age as human beings –
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| are among the most elusive and unusual
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| | is one of the main reasons that they
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| looking creatures on Earth. Since many of
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| | cannot recover from the excessive
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| these fish live in regions where there is
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| | fishing.
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| no natural illumination, they cannot rely
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| | The aphotic zone is the portion of the
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| solely on their eyesight for locating
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| | ocean that is not exposed to sunlight. No
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| prey and mates and avoiding predators;
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| | light other than bioluminescence is found
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| deep sea fish have evolved appropriately
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| | in this zone. The depth of the aphotic
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| to the extreme sub-photic region in which
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| | zone can be greatly affected by such
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| they live. Many deep sea fish are
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| | things as turbidity and the season of the
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| bioluminescent, with extremely large eyes
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| | year. The aphotic zone underlies the
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| adapted to the dark, and they can have
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| | photic zone, which is that portion of the
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| long feelers to help them locate prey or
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| | ocean directly affected by sunlight. It
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| attract mates in the pitch dark of the
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| | is 3,000 - 15,000 feet deep and the
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| deep ocean. The deep sea angler fish in
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| | temperatures range from 43 degrees
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| particular has a long fishing-rod-like
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| | Fahrenheit to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
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| adaptation protruding from its face, on
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| | Unusual and unique creatures dwell in
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| the end of which is a bioluminescent
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| | this expanse of pitch black water, such
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| piece of skin that wriggles like a worm
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| | as the gulper eel, the giant squid, the
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| to lure its prey. The lifecycle of deep
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| | anglerfish and the sea cucumber.
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| sea fish can be either permanently deeply
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