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All oceans reports



Orange Roughy

Greenpeace Canada Redlist

Fishery Facts

Latin Name
Hoplostethus atlanticus.

Other Common Names
Red roughy, white roughy, deep sea perch, emperor fish, rosy soldierfish.

Fishing Method
Bottom trawling.

Region of Harvest 
New Zealand, Australia, Namibia and the Northeast Atlantic.

Orange roughy
Why is it on the red list?   Biology

1.
Worldwide, years of overfishing have decimated populations, which may take decades to recover.

2.
Orange roughy is caught primarily with bottom trawling gear, damaging sensitive cold-water corals off New Zealand and Australia’s coast.

3.
Orange roughy is inherently vulnerable to fishing pressure because it is a slow-growing species, does not breed until at least 20 years, and may live up to 130 years or more.

Orange roughy live between 180 and 1800 metres below sea level.

Orange roughy is one of the world’s longest lived fish species.

The largest Orange roughys grow up to 75 centimetres and weigh up to seven kilograms.

They feed primarily on zooplankton and small fish and squid.

Orange roughy oil has been used both as lubricant and in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, leather, and textile industries.

New Zealand Orange roughy is one of the most valuable export fish species.