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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteIcefish and toothfish are carnivores, but their menus depend on the species, body size, depth, season and location. Mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) eat plankton and small fish, including young icefish. Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) take fish and cephalopods, while Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) eat mostly fish plus crustaceans and cephalopods. In Ross Sea studies, Antarctic toothfish commonly consumed small notothen fish, icefish, grenadiers and squid.
What “icefish” means
“Icefish” is a common name used for several species, so a precise answer should identify the fish. The general Southern Ocean overview usually refers to mackerel icefish, Champsocephalus gunnari, a white-blooded Antarctic fish. It should not be confused with Antarctic silverfish, Pleuragramma antarcticum, which is a different species and has a different diet.
What mackerel icefish eat
Mackerel icefish feed on plankton and small fish, including juvenile icefish. They form schools and make a daily vertical migration: they are described near the seafloor during the day while feeding, then move into midwater at night. This day–night movement changes which prey are available, so the menu is not fixed.
What Antarctic toothfish eat
Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) live around the Antarctic continent. They are opportunistic predators that feed both in the water column and near the bottom.
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Midwater prey
The broad diet includes small fish and squid encountered in midwater.
Seafloor prey
Near the bottom, Antarctic toothfish take fish, crabs and prawns, as well as cephalopods. The balance shifts with habitat and depth.
What Ross Sea studies found
A study of stomachs collected during four summer surveys from 2012 through 2015 in the Ross Sea polynya found that small notothens and icefish dominated prey weight. Notothens represented 20–52% of prey weight across sampled areas, while icefish represented 30–57%. Icefish were especially important in Terra Nova Bay. Antarctic silverfish occurred regularly but contributed only 0.4–3.6% of prey weight, depending on the area.
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Those percentages describe the sampled Ross Sea shelf locations and summer surveys, not every Antarctic toothfish population. The fish were characterized as predominantly benthic feeders in the days before capture.
Another Ross Sea investigation covering the continental slope and oceanic features found diets made up mainly of benthic fishes and cephalopods. Grenadiers (Macrourus species) were the most important fish and overall prey; icefish and eel cods were also significant on the continental slope. The squid Psychroteuthis glacialis was the leading cephalopod prey. Diet changed with toothfish size and location.
What Patagonian toothfish eat
Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) occupy sub-Antarctic waters and are mixed-species carnivores.
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Adults and juveniles
Adults around South Georgia ate mainly fish and decapod crustaceans. Juveniles in coastal water consumed krill, whereas juveniles in deeper water ate various fishes. The study found that both body size and water depth influenced the diet.
Fish and squid in the South Sandwich Islands
A comparison of Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish around the South Sandwich Islands found that finfishes—particularly macrourids and muraenolepidids—and cephalopods, mainly Kondakovia longimana, made up more than 90% of prey mass for both species in that study. This is a regional result rather than a universal proportion.
Do toothfish eat icefish?
Yes. Icefish were a major component of Antarctic toothfish stomach contents in the Ross Sea shelf study described above, accounting for 30–57% of prey weight across its sampled areas. Their importance differed by area, and the evidence does not show that every toothfish population depends on icefish.
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Do toothfish eat krill?
Krill are documented in the diet of juvenile Patagonian toothfish living in coastal waters around South Georgia. Adult toothfish diets in the cited studies are dominated by larger fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. The available Antarctic toothfish results emphasize fish and cephalopods rather than krill as a principal prey category.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Antarctic silverfish are not icefish
Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) is sometimes mentioned alongside toothfish and can be mistaken for an “icefish.” It is a separate species. A Ross Sea stomach-content study based on specimens collected from January to March 2008 found that its prey changed with body size and location.
Why the percentages look different
The silverfish study used more than one measure. Copepods accounted for 81% of the overall index of relative importance (IRI), which combines occurrence and quantity. By prey mass, fishes made up 48% and krill 22%, while copepods made up 9.9%. A prey item can therefore be frequent but lightweight, producing a high IRI and a smaller mass percentage.
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- Postlarval fish measuring 50–89 mm standard length ate exclusively copepods in the sampled population.
- Juveniles measuring 90–151 mm consumed mainly krill and copepods by mass, at 46% and 30%, respectively.
- Large adults measuring 179–236 mm ate predominantly fishes and krill by mass, at 55% and 17%, respectively.
These figures apply to the sampled Ross Sea population and should not be generalized to every fish called an icefish.
Diet comparison at a glance
| Fish | Main reported prey | Important context |
|---|---|---|
| Mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) | Plankton and small fish, including juvenile icefish | General overview; feeds near the seafloor by day and moves into midwater at night |
| Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) | Fish and cephalopods; Ross Sea shelf samples were dominated by small notothens and icefish | Diet varies with region, survey period, size and benthic versus midwater habitat |
| Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) | Mostly fish, plus crustaceans and cephalopods | Juvenile prey differs between coastal and deep water; size and depth matter |
| Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) | Copepods, krill and fish | Separate species; rankings differ when measured by IRI, frequency or prey mass |
Why toothfish diets differ between studies
- Species: Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish have different ranges and habitats.
- Body size: Juveniles often take smaller prey, while adults can handle larger fish and squid.
- Depth and habitat: Shelf, slope, seafloor and midwater communities provide different prey.
- Season: Seasonal migrations and ice conditions alter which animals are available.
- Measurement method: A percentage based on prey mass is not equivalent to a percentage based on frequency or IRI.
For that reason, a local study may show toothfish eating mostly icefish, grenadiers or squid without establishing a single menu for the species worldwide.
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