Lesson plan
Slimehead
Slimeheads, also known as roughies and redfish, are mostly small, exceptionally long-lived, deep-sea beryciform fish constituting the family Trachichthyidae, coming from the Ancient Greek τραχύς (trakhús), meaning "rough", and ἰχθύς (ikhthús), meaning "fish". Found in temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the family comprises about 50 species in eight genera. Slimeheads are named for the network of muciferous canals riddling their heads. The larger species – namely the orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) and Darwin's slimehead (Gephyroberyx darwinii) – are the target of extensive commercial fisheries off Australia and New Zealand. Many populations have already crashed, while others are showing signs of severe overfishing; due to slimeheads' slow rate of reproduction, the future viability of these fisheries has been put into question. Orange roughies are food fish and are marketed fresh and frozen, whereas Darwin's slimeheads are used for their oil and made into fishmeal.
Article summary
Slimeheads, also known as roughies and redfish, are mostly small, exceptionally long-lived, deep-sea beryciform fish constituting the family Trachichthyidae, coming from the Ancient Greek τραχύς (trakhús), meaning "rough", and ἰχθύς (ikhthús), meaning "fish". Found in temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the family comprises about 50 species in eight genera. Slimeheads are named for the network of muciferous canals riddling their heads. The larger species – namely the orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) and Darwin's slimehead (Gephyroberyx darwinii) – are the target of extensive commercial fisheries off Australia and New Zealand. Many populations have already crashed, while others are showing signs of severe overfishing; due to slimeheads' slow rate of reproduction, the future viability of these fisheries has been put into question. Orange roughies are food fish and are marketed fresh and frozen, whereas Darwin's slimeheads are used for their oil and made into fishmeal.
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Discussion questions
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