More than a decade ago, the blobfish was named “world’s ugliest animal” but has made an astonishing comeback by earning the title from New Zealand.
Mountains to Sea Conservation organised the competition to help familiarise Kiwis with the wide variety of fish living in their salty and fresh waters.
The gelatinous-looking thing fish is found predominantly off the coast of southeastern Australia and Tasmania but is found at depths of 600 to 1,200 metres.
The second-place title holder, the Orange Roughy, was leading in the polls for the majority of the competition, but it wasn’t until radio show More FM rallied support for the blobfish that it took out first place.
"We and the people of New Zealand had had enough of other fish getting all the headlines. The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open, waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat. He has been bullied his whole life, and we thought, ‘stuff this, it’s time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun’, and what a glorious moment it is!” say More FM Drive hosts Sarah and Flynny.
In a press release, Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust Co-Director Kim Jones said it was “a battle of the deep sea forget-me-nots.
“A battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish’s unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line.”
“More than 10,000 Kiwis visited the website to learn about freshwater and marine fish that call our waters home,” says Jones. “We’re absolutely thrilled New Zealanders have taken such an interest in our native fish and the conservation challenges affecting them.”
“We would like to thank the organisations who backed a fish and to those that help fund this competition, particularly the Hauraki Gulf Forum and Lotteries New Zealand,” says Jones.
Fish of the Year 2025 - Top Ten Fish
- Blobfish - 1286 votes
- Orange roughy - 1009 votes
- Longfin eel / Tuna - 646 votes
- Whale shark - 596 votes
- Big-bellied seahorse / Manaia - 386 votes
- Great white shark / Mangō taniwha - 344 votes
- Lamprey / Piharau - 312 votes
- Spine-tailed devil ray / Whai rahi - 284 votes
- Basking shark / Reremai - 280 votes
- Blue cod / Rāwaru - 260 votes
