javelin fish, deep mid-water and elusive

Size
Length: 30–50 cm, Weight: 200–500 g
Lifespan
15–20 years
Diet
Carnivorous. Feeds on small crustaceans, fish and squid. Hovers near seafloor using long, tapering tail. Uses large mouth to suck in prey. Feeds on whatever drifts within range.
Habitat
Deep continental slopes and seamounts between 200 and 800 metres depth. Prefers muddy and sandy bottoms with stable temperatures. Often in aggregations near submarine canyons and ridges.
Range
Deep waters around New Zealand from Northland to Campbell Plateau. Most common on Chatham Rise and off east coast of South Island. Also found in southern Australia and Southwest Pacific.
Endemism
Native
Main Threats
Bycatch in deep-sea trawl fisheries is primary threat. Habitat damage from bottom trawling on seamounts. Slow reproduction makes populations vulnerable. No targeted commercial fishery exists.
Population
Population trends poorly understood due to deep-water habitat. Caught as bycatch in target fisheries for hoki, orange roughy and oreo. Quota management limits total bycatch. Better data needed.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
A slender grenadier with a long, pointed snout and a tapering tail. It looks like a spear. The body is covered in spiny scales that give it a rough texture. It lives on the deep continental slope. It hovers near the seafloor in search of small crustaceans and fish. Several related grenadier species share a similar appearance. Identification is difficult without close examination. It is easy to confuse with its cousins. This is a problem for data collection. The body is elongated. The head is large. The tail tapers to a point. The snout is long and pointed. The eyes are large. They are adapted to low light. The mouth is large. It contains fine teeth. The colour is a uniform brown or grey. The scales are spiny and rough. It is a fish built for the deep. The design is functional. It is not decorative. It is a deep-sea predator. It hovers near the seafloor. It uses its long tail for balance. It holds its position in the current. It feeds on small crustaceans, fish and squid. It sucks them into its large mouth. It waits for dinner to drift past. Patience is the strategy. The current does the work. The fish conserves energy. This is necessary in the cold. Growth is slow. It takes many years to reach maturity. It can live for two decades. This is a long life for a fish of its size. The slow pace of life makes it vulnerable to overfishing. It takes decades to grow. It takes seconds to catch. The imbalance is stark. The biology cannot keep up with the technology. The net is faster than the growth rate. It is not targeted by commercial fisheries. It is caught as bycatch in deep-sea trawls. The nets drag across the seafloor. They scoop up everything in their path. The javelin fish dies without being wanted. It is collateral damage. The target is often hoki or orange roughy. The javelin fish is in the way. To see one is rare. They live in the deep. They live in the cold, dark waters of the continental slope. They are the javelin fish of the deep. They have pointed snouts and spiny scales. The net drags. The javelin fish comes up. The spiny scales are rough against the mesh. It is thrown back if it is lucky. Most are not. The pressure change kills them. The ascent is fatal. It does not know why. It was just hovering in the dark. It was just waiting for prey. The light from above is artificial. The noise is mechanical. The end is sudden. The deep sea is not safe from surface demands. The javelin fish persists where it can. It hides in the mud. It avoids the trawl path. It does not always succeed. The slope is vast. The nets are wide. The overlap is inevitable.