A Rough Road for the Roughy
As many commercial fishers turn their efforts to the deep sea, some species are threatened by overfishing. This is very risky because populations may be wiped out before we know how many fish there are or whether they can bounce back. Another risk is that if the one species is depleted, then many other animals will be affected. Overfishing has already threatened some species. In 1978, fishers off the coast of New Zealand found they could haul up millions of meaty, red-orange fish from the deep sea. These fish, called "orange roughy," became very popular. Within 15 years, 80 percent were wiped out by overfishing. Researchers discovered that the orange roughy grows so slowly, it cannot breed until about the age of 20. This means that it will take an extremely long time for their population to recover. Strict limits on fishing were put in place just in time to prevent a total collapse.