KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — The blobfish, once labelled the “world’s ugliest animal”, has now won New Zealand’s Fish of the Year, beating contenders like the longfin eel and pygmy pipehorse in the annual competition.
The Guardian reported that the deep-sea species, Psychrolutes marcidus, is found in the highly pressurised depths off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia.
Unlike most fish, it lacks a swim bladder, full skeleton, muscles, or scales. Instead, its body is made of gelatinous tissue with a lower density than water, allowing it to float just above the seafloor.
Believed to have a lifespan of up to 130 years, the blobfish is slow-moving and relies on an ambush strategy to catch prey.
“It sort of sits there and waits for prey to come very close and practically walk into its mouth before it eats them,” said Konrad Kurta, a spokesperson from the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, which organises the annual competition.
The report further stated that the fish first gained international attention over a decade ago when a crew member on a New Zealand research vessel snapped a photo of the rarely seen species. Its unique, droopy appearance quickly became an internet meme.
Kurta explained that while the pressure of deep-sea water maintains the fish’s natural shape, bringing it to the surface causes decompression, making it appear distorted.
“Regrettably, when it is pulled up, that sudden decompression causes it to become all disfigured,” he reportedly said.
Unlike most fish, it lacks a swim bladder, full skeleton, muscles, or scales. Instead, its body is made of gelatinous tissue with a lower density than water, allowing it to float just above the seafloor. — Facebook pic
While little research has been done on its conservation status, the blobfish’s population and habitat are considered vulnerable due to deep-sea trawling, particularly for orange roughy.
The Fish of the Year contest, launched in 2020 and inspired by the popular Bird of the Year competition, saw a record-breaking 5,583 votes this year, compared to 1,021 last year.
The blobfish won with 1,286 votes, narrowly beating the orange roughy, which had backing from Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, and the Environmental Law Initiative.Aaron Packard, a spokesperson for the Environmental Law Initiative, welcomed the blobfish’s win, saying, “From an ecosystem perspective, a win for blobfish is a win for orange roughy.”
New Zealand is responsible for about 80 per cent of the global orange roughy catch, with environmental groups regularly calling for a halt to deep-sea trawling due to its impact on marine ecosystems.
Other contenders in the competition included the longfin eel, a pygmy pipehorse, and several critically endangered fish species.Kurta said the contest aims to raise awareness of New Zealand’s diverse marine and freshwater fish, with about 85 per cent considered vulnerable.
“That these fish exist is often the first step to getting people invested and interested in what’s happening below the waterline.”
