Glacier lanternfish (Benthosema glaciale) first found on the continental slope of the Pacific Arctic

The first record of a lanternfish (Myctophidae) found on the continental slope of the Pacific Arctic region occurred in 2020 when six live glacier lanternfish ( Benthosema glaciale ) were sampled in the southwest Chukchi Sea (75.04 °N, 179.99 °E). The glacier lanternfish is widespread throughout the North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic. Previously, there was only one verified occurrence of this species found dead near Point Barrow in 1952. These individuals collected by us likely reached the Pacific Arctic through the exchange of Atlantic water given that the water mass of the station was consistent with the warm (> 0 °C) and highly salinity (> 34.5) Atlantic Water, and two additional Atlantic Arctic fish species were collected simultaneously, bigeye sculpin ( Triglops nybelini ) and longear eelpout ( Lycodes seminudus ). This account could be an instance of the more frequent biota interchange between the Atlantic and Pacific fauna anticipated with climate change.