Orange Roughy and Bycatch

Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) is a deep ocean fish that grows and matures at a sluggish rate compared to most shallow water fish.  They don't reproduce until they are at least 20 years old and can reportedly live to well past 100 years.

In the last few decades fisherman have expanded their fishing territory into deeper waters, including the roughy's habitat.  Heavy fishing coupled with the fish's slow reproductive cycle put this fishery in serious decline.

Heavy orange roughy fishing has taken its toll in other ways, too.  The wide mouth of the trawl net often pulls in other unwanted animals, called bycatch, which are usually thrown back into the ocean dead or dying.  Areas of the seafloor and seamounts where roughy hang out have also been scraped and scarred by trawl nets and can take decades to heal.

 

Orange roughy and various marine species, bycatch, on the deck of a research trawler
Stephen McGowan, Australian Maritime College, 2006/Marine Photobank

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Comments

Is there a way that I can get permission to use this photo in an exhibit for a marine education aquarium on sustainable fishing?
thank you,
Falmouth Aquarium, UK

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 04/20/2012 - 10:37am.

Hi and thank you for your comment.

The images, videos, and audio files contained within the Ocean Portal are owned by many individuals and organization who have generously loaned us their media for use on the Ocean Portal. We at the Smithsonian Institution—and our collaborators—encourage you to use the Ocean Portal as an educational tool with your family and friends or in your classroom, but use of media outside the Ocean Portal context (i.e. use of images, videos, or audio files on your own website, in a presentation, or in print materials) is subject to restrictions. Please see our Terms of Use for Media on the Ocean Portal for specific guidelines for using this photo, and any others that appear on the Ocean Portal, in your exhibit.

The photo that appears on this page was acquired from the marine photobank, http://www.marinephotobank.org. You can check their terms of use for reusing this particular image.

Thanks,
The Ocean Portal Team

Submitted by Ocean Portal Team on Mon, 04/23/2012 - 9:29am.

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