Marbled rockcod facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marbled rockcod |
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The marbled rockcod (Notothenia rossii) is a type of fish that lives in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. You can find it at depths from about 5 to 350 meters (16 to 1,150 feet). This fish is important for fishing because people catch it to eat.
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About the Marbled Rockcod
The marbled rockcod was first described in 1844 by John Richardson. He was a Scottish naturalist and explorer. He named the fish Notothenia rossii to honor James Clark Ross. Ross was the leader of a scientific trip called the Ross expedition. This trip explored the coasts of Antarctica using the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror.
Where Marbled Rockcod Live
Marbled rockcod live in many parts of the Southern Ocean. Their home includes the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. They are also found around the Scotia Arc, Prince Edward Islands, Crozet Islands, and Kerguelen Islands. Other locations include Heard Island and Macquarie Island. They also live near the Ob Bank and Lena Bank.
What Marbled Rockcod Look Like
This fish can grow quite large. It can reach a length of up to 92 centimeters (36 inches). However, most marbled rockcod are about 50 centimeters (20 inches) long. The heaviest one ever recorded weighed about 10 kilograms (22 pounds).
The marbled rockcod has a special fin on its back called the dorsal fin. This fin is split into two parts. The front part has four to seven hard spines. The longer back part has 32 to 36 soft rays. The fin on its belly, called the anal fin, has 26 to 30 soft rays.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Female marbled rockcod become ready to have babies when they are about six years old. When they are mature, both males and females move into deeper water. This usually happens on the continental shelf, which is the edge of the land under the sea.
They lay their eggs once a year. The young fish, called juveniles, prefer to stay in shallow waters. They often live in fiords and bays. These young fish mostly eat tiny sea creatures called zooplankton. Male marbled rockcod can live for up to twelve years.
Protecting the Species
During the 1960s and 1970s, many marbled rockcod were caught by fishers. In some years, over 100,000 tonnes of these fish were caught. This heavy fishing caused the population to drop sharply. The fish almost disappeared from around South Georgia Island. By 1980, their numbers were very low across the entire Southern Ocean. This shows how important it is to manage fishing carefully to protect fish populations.
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