Fish of the Year

The winner of New Zealand’s 2025 Fish of the Year (Te Ika o Te Tau) was the blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus), a deep-sea species once dubbed the “world’s ugliest animal” .
 
We run this annual competition to raise awareness about the country's diverse and often vulnerable marine life. In 2025, the blobfish secured victory with 1,286 votes out of over 5,500 cast, narrowly surpassing the orange roughy by nearly 300 votes .

>>> Meet the fish that were candidates in 2025's Fish of the Year competition.

The blobfish inhabits the deep waters off New Zealand and Australia, residing at depths of 600 to 1,200 meters. Its gelatinous body lacks a full skeleton, muscles, and scales, adaptations that allow it to float just above the seafloor. While it appears comically deflated when brought to the surface due to decompression, in its natural high-pressure environment, it maintains a more typical fish shape .
 
The competition highlighted the blobfish's ecological significance and the threats it faces from deep-sea trawling, which also endangers species like the orange roughy. By spotlighting such unique marine creatures, the event encourages public engagement in marine conservation efforts.
 
In the previous year, 2024, the title went to the spotty (pateke), a common reef fish in New Zealand known for its role in coastal ecosystems .

Our Fish of the Year 2026 Competition will run next year in March, as part of Seaweek.