Latest news with #KonradKurta
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Once dubbed ‘world's ugliest animal', blobfish crowned New Zealand's Fish of the
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. 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 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 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.'
Express Tribune
19-03-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Blobfish wins New Zealand's fish of the year after years of ugly label
Blobfish wins New Zealand's fish of the year after years of ugly label Listen to article More than a decade after being labeled the "world's ugliest animal," the blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) has made an unexpected comeback, winning New Zealand's "Fish of the Year" competition. Organized by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, the contest saw the blobfish secure 1,286 votes, outpacing its closest competitor, the orange roughy, by fewer than 300 votes when polls closed Sunday. The blobfish, known for its gelatinous, sagging appearance, has long been a subject of fascination and humor in online meme culture. However, its distinct anatomy serves a crucial purpose, allowing it to survive in deep-sea environments off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia. Unlike most fish, the blobfish lacks a full skeleton, scales, muscles, and a swim bladder, which typically helps fish maintain buoyancy. Instead, its soft, low-density tissue enables it to float effortlessly above the seafloor. Despite its online notoriety, the commonly shared image of the blobfish does not accurately reflect its appearance in the water. When brought to the surface, the sudden change in pressure disfigures its body, giving it the melted, grumpy look that made it famous. The blobfish's victory in the competition highlights concerns about deep-sea conservation. While its exact population status remains unknown, its habitat is increasingly vulnerable to deep-sea trawling, a fishing practice that inadvertently captures and threatens blobfish populations. According to Konrad Kurta, a spokesperson for the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, the blobfish is often caught as bycatch during bottom trawling for orange roughy, another deep-sea species. Kim Jones, co-director of the trust, noted that both species face similar threats. "In some ways, it was fitting that blobfish and orange roughy were close at the end," Jones said. "They both live in deep-sea environments near New Zealand, and managing orange roughy habitats more carefully could also benefit the blobfish." The orange roughy, which came in second place, is considered a vulnerable species struggling with population decline due to overfishing. New Zealand dominates the global orange roughy market, accounting for about 80% of all catches. Among the other contestants in the "Fish of the Year" competition, most were classified as endangered or vulnerable species—except for the blue cod, which finished in last place with just 260 votes. While the blobfish's win highlights its cultural appeal, conservationists hope the attention will also raise awareness about the threats facing deep-sea ecosystems.
The Guardian
18-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Once named world's ugliest animal, blobfish wins New Zealand's fish of the year
It was once crowned the 'world's ugliest animal' and now the disgruntled-looking gelatinous blobfish has a new gong to its name: New Zealand's fish of the year. The winning species of blobfish, Psychrolutes marcidus, lives in the highly pressurised depths off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia and has developed a unique anatomy to exist. Blobfish do not have a swim bladder, a full skeleton, muscles or scales. Instead, their bodies are made up of blobby tissue with a lower density than water that allows them to float above the seafloor. The species is believed to be able to live to 130 years old, is slow growing and slow moving, says Konrad Kurta, a spokesperson from the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust that runs the annual competition. 'It sort of sits there and waits for prey to come very close and practically walk into its mouth before it eats them,' he says. It is also a 'dedicated parent' with females laying up to 100,000 eggs in a single nest, which they protect until they hatch. The fish found fame over a decade ago after a crew member on a New Zealand research vessel snapped a photograph of the rarely seen animal. Its distinctive appearance was quickly adopted into meme culture. The pressure of the water forces their shape into that of a regular – albeit bulbous – fish but out of the depths they can resemble 'a failed medical experiment', Kurta said. 'Regrettably, when it is pulled up … that sudden decompression causes it to become all disfigured,' Kurta says. Little is known about their conservation status due to a lack of research, but their populations and habitat are considered vulnerable to deep-sea trawling. 'Blobfish are fairly frequently pulled up from the bottom-trawling of orange roughy,' Kurta said. The Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust launched the Fish of the Year competition in 2020, inspired by the highly popular Bird of the Year. This year saw the highest number of votes cast in its competition – 5,583 in 2025, compared with 1,021 last year. The blobfish won on 1,286 votes, pipping the orange roughy by 300 votes, despite the latter having powerful backers including Greenpeace, Forest & Bird and the Environmental Law Initiative. 'We are very pleased for the blobfish,' said Aaron Packard, a spokesperson for Environmental Law Initiative. 'From an ecosystem perspective, a win for blobfish is a win for orange roughy.' New Zealand is responsible for about 80% of the global orange roughy catch. Environmental watchdogs regularly call for a halt on fishing the species due to the destructive effects of bottom trawling on ecosystems and vulnerabilities in fish populations. Other contenders in the competition included the mysterious longfin eel – known as tuna in Māori language – a pygmy pipehorse, a critically endangered mud-fish, sharks and rays. 'We have a dizzying variety of native marine and freshwater fish,' Kurta says, adding roughly 85% are considered vulnerable. 'That [these fish] exist is often the first step to getting people invested and interested in what's happening below the waterline.'
