Hidden Nesting Fortress: Antarctic Fish Form Six Geometric Clusters
After the Larsen C ice shelf calved, opening access to the western Weddell Sea seafloor, researchers documented more than a thousand nests of the yellowfin notothenioid Lindbergichthys nudifrons arranged in six geometric patterns, likely driven by predation pressure. The cluster formations may provide predator protection and bolster arguments for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem status and the proposed Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area; the expedition also sought Shackleton's Endurance (discovered in 2022) but did not find the wreck on this mission. Findings are published in Frontiers in Marine Science (2025).