Blobfish: Why we call all take heart from New Zealand's fish of the year

The blobfish has previously been described as the ugliest creature in the world. It can live more than a kilometre below the surface of the sea and, consequently, does not see much light. Its flesh is describe by Wikipedia as “primarily a gelatinous mass” and it is slightly less dense than water - so rather than swim it just floats. And it doesn’t hunt - the fish, which can reach about 1ft long, just eats whatever comes in front of it.

New Zealand’s Fish of the Year competition, run by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, has now ended and the blobfish saw off its deep sea rival the orange roughy to take the crown.

A large part of the reason behind the blobfish’s win was the endorsement of a radio show. “We and the people of New Zealand had had enough of other fish getting all the headlines. The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat. He has been bullied his whole life and we thought, ‘stuff this, it’s time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun’, and what a glorious moment it is!,” said More FM Drive hosts Sarah and Flynny.

Swimmer-up orange roughy is a deep sea fish, too. Despite gaining late endorsements from Forest & Bird and Greenpeace Aotearoa, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

Official orange roughy sponsor Environmental Law Initiative was upbeat after running a strong campaign.

“We have no bloblem with the blobfish winning,” says spokesperson Aaron Packard. “It’s still a win for deep sea ecosystems, and raises awareness about the environmental impacts of destructive bottom trawling.”

Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust Co-Director Kim Jones said it was “a battle of the deep sea forget-me-nots. A battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish’s unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line.”

“More than ten thousand Kiwis visited the website to learn about freshwater and marine fish that call our waters home,” says Jones. “We’re absolutely thrilled New Zealanders have taken such an interest in our native fish, and the conservation challenges affecting them.”

Of the top ten Fish of the Year nominees, nine are considered vulnerable by conservation groups, including the blobfish.

• Blobfish - 1,286 votes
• Orange roughy - 1,009 votes
• Longfin eel / Tuna - 646 votes
• Whale shark - 596 votes
• Big-bellied seahorse / Manaia - 386 votes
• Great white shark / Mangō taniwha - 344 votes
• Lamprey / Piharau - 312 votes
• Spine-tailed devil ray / Whai rahi - 284 votes
• Basking shark / Reremai - 280 votes
• Blue cod / Rāwaru - 260 votes

And so the blobfish sees off its more glamorous cousins like the basking and great white sharks. It doesn’t need looks to survive, it scratches a patient living, makes do with what it has and doesn’t apologise for its strange looks. It’s the example we should follow in an uncertain time.