New Species of Fish Discovered off the Coast of New Zealand

Scientists have discovered a new species of fish in one of the deepest points on Earth.

A team of researchers from University of Aberdeen's Oceanlab, U.K., National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, found a new species of eelpout at depths of 4250m in waters near Kermadec Islands, north of New Zealand.

They also discovered rattail fish at new depth records of 5500m and large deep sea cusk eels at new depth records of 3500m. Another rattail fish, that has not been caught in the last 100 years in New Zealand, was found in depths between 2000 and 4500m.

The discoveries were made during an expedition to one of the deepest points on the planet. Scientists onboard the research vessel RV Kaharoa, explored the waters on the edge of the Kermadec Trench, where the depth exceeds six miles (10 km).

They used landers with attached cameras that free-fall to the seafloor, as well as baited fish traps to attract the marine mammals. They launched more than 50 fishing nets over the last 14 months to a depth of 9,900 meters, which is more than the height of Mount Everest, reports Daily Mail.

"We are never quite sure what we will find on these expeditions to unchartered territories. We had set out to find out more about the deep sea fish communities and we were delighted to find both new species and new depth records for fish," voyage leader Dr. Alan Jamieson, from Oceanlab, said in a statement.

During the voyage, the researchers took over 6,500 photographs of deep sea fish. They also caught about 100 fish from depths between 1 and 4 miles deep.

"The results from this deep exploration are giving us a much better understanding of biodiversity in the deep sea around New Zealand, and enable us to better assess potential risks to the ecosystem from future climate change and even human activities which may include seabed mining," said NIWA principal scientist Dr. Malcolm Clark.