Orange Roughy Orange Roughy live for well over 100 years and mature at between 20 and 30 years of age. Fecundity is low, rarely exceeding 90,000 eggs per female. Their aggregating behaviour makes them very vulnerable to fishing. The Patagonian Toothfish is widely distributed in sub-Antarctic latitudes at depths up to 2,500 metres. Scientific data on the species is poor, but initial estimates indicate they live for at least 40 to 50 years, becoming sexually mature at around seven or eight years for males and 10 to12 years for females.
Fecundity is moderate.
Its presence in Australia s sub-Antarctic waters was unknown until 1994, when it was discovered by an Australian fishing company in waters surrounding Macquarie Island. Patagonian Toothfish appear to be found in discrete, separated populations, with little exchange between different populations, which adds to their vulnerability to over-fishing by illegal fishers. Estimates of IUU fishing for Patagonian Toothfish in Antarctic waters over the past few years including those around Australia s Heard and McDonald Islands suggest that IUU fishing has accounted for up to six times the legal catch by vessels licensed to fish in those waters by countries such as Australia. New fisheries currently under development on the high seas by Australian companies could also be at risk if IUU fishing is not addressed. IUU fishers do not care about the harm their illegal methods cause to seabirds, including many albatross species that inhabit the southern seas.