Blobfish has completed a journey from the “ugliest” to “fish of the year” after more than a decade.
According to CNN, in a dramatic change of fortunes, the gelatinous sea creature that was declared the “ugliest animal” in the world won the “fish of the year” competition in New Zealand.
The competition organised by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust aims to raise awareness about the marine life of the country and its sensitive ecosystem.
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Votes for the “fish of the year” were submitted on the non-profit organisation’s website over the two weeks this month, and the polls finally close on Sunday, March 16, 2025.
5,583 votes were cast in the competition, and the blobfish beat its nearest rival, the orange roughy, by almost 300 votes.
Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, hosts of the station’s Drive show, said, “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.”
“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!” she added.
According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the blobfish looks like a “big, blobby tadpole, just a mass of pale, jelly-like flesh with puffy, loose skin, a big nose and beady, staring eyes.”
It grows to about 12 inches (30 centimetres) long and is mainly found off the coast of southeastern Australia and Tasmania at depths of 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 metres).
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