Fish
Orange Roughy
Hoplostethus atlanticusAlso known as Red Roughy, Slimehead, Deep Sea Perch
Orange roughy inhabit pitch-black ocean depths around seamounts and underwater ridges, where water temperatures hover near freezing. These slow-growing fish take up to 40 years to reach sexual maturity and can live for well over two centuries. Decades of heavy deep-sea bottom trawling decimated many regional stocks, making them a prime example of the extreme vulnerability of long-lived marine life.
Deep SeaLong-LivedMarine
—observations
—countries
—peak records
VulnerableConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXVulnerableRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyDeep-Sea Shrimp, Myctophids, Squid
Predators
- Deepwater Sharks
- Giant Squid
- Toothed Whales
ThreatsDeep-sea bottom trawling, slow reproduction rates, ocean change
HabitatsDeep ocean, seamounts, continental slopes (180 to 1,800 m depth)
Life spanUp to 230 years
Classification
- FamilyTrachichthyidae
- SpeciesHoplostethus atlanticus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Recognized by a compressed brick-red body and prominent mucus-producing cavities on the head.
- Support conservation
- Support sustainable seafood certifications and policies limiting deep-sea bottom trawling.
Responsible observation
- Deep Sea Context: View educational research footage, as live specimens inhabit depths unreachable by scuba divers.
- Sustainable Choices: Avoid uncertified commercial catches to prevent further damage to sensitive seamount ecosystems.
Image unavailableEcological Neighbor 
Deepwater Competitor (c) Francis Letourmy, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-saFamily Relative
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