Myctophids as well as many other mesopelagic fish are chock full of lipids. Some triglycerides, some wax esters. But, these little fish carry quite a bit of caloric punch for their size due to all these lipids in their bodies. Since food is pretty scarce in the deep-ocean, morsels with high lipid content are the meal-du-jour, so to speak.

It might not be a matter of “Can we harvest these” anymore, but “Should we harvest these”.

Mesopelagic fish composition and biomass

Digestibility of Mesopelagic Fish

Organisms in the mesopelagic zone are crucial players in the “biological pump”, a process whereby organic carbon from surface waters is exported to the deep-sea. This process acts as a climate buffer because once in the deep sea, organic carbon may remain there for long periods of time, and less CO2 returns to the atmosphere.