Beauty is subjective. What one person finds ugly, another might find fascinating or even endearing. A case that has applied for the blobfish. They were once declared the world's ugliest animal, but now they have turned the tables by becoming New Zealand's fish-of-the-year champ for 2025.  The blobfish dwell in the deep-sea fish and are known for their soft and gelatinous appearance. They thrive at depths of 600-1,200. 

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Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, a New Zealand-based organisation devoted to freshwater and marine education and conservation, conducted a fish-of-the-year contest in which 5,583 New Zealanders voted, up from 1,021 in 2024. 

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The blobfish emerged victorious over orange roughy by nearly 300 votes in a close contest. The deep sea rivals were in a neck-to-neck dramatic fight. The official press release, which was published on March 17, revealed that the orange roughy had a strong start and maintained a healthy lead until halfway through the final week of campaigning. 

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However, everything changed when More FM threw their weight behind the blobfish. "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," said More FM Drive hosts Sarah and Flynny. 

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"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!" Flynny added. 

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The presser mentioned that swimmer-up (meaning the runner-up) orange roughy, also deep sea fish, weren't able to turn the tide despite gaining late endorsements from Forest & Bird and Greenpeace Aotearoa. 

"We have no problem with the blobfish winning. It's still a win for deep-sea ecosystems and raises awareness about the environmental impacts of destructive bottom trawling," spokesperson Aaron Packard. 

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Fish of the Year contest 

"More than ten thousand Kiwis visited the website to learn about freshwater and marine fish that call our waters home. We’re absolutely thrilled New Zealanders have taken such an interest in our native fish, and the conservation challenges affecting them," said Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust Co-Director Kim Jones. 

"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," Jones added. 

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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 

(With inputs from agencies)