The fish without bones is the blobfish. Its body shape is very similar to that of a tadpole, and its body is pink. It has no bones or swim bladder and relies on its gills to breathe. Its body is gel-like and less dense than water. But it cannot be eaten because the substances in its body are harmful to the human body.

The blobfish, also known as the sad fish, sculpin, and popper, is known as "the saddest fish in the world" because of its sad face. The blobfish lives along the coasts of Australia and Tasmania, at depths as deep as 1,200 meters. Because it is difficult to reach this fish's habitat, it is rarely discovered by humans.

Existential threats

The blobfish is threatened with extinction due to deep-sea fishing operations, scientists warn. Due to increased fishing activity, blobfish are being caught along with other fish species. Although the blobfish itself is not edible, it lives in the same depths as more delicious marine life, such as crabs and lobsters, so it is also a victim.

Australian and New Zealand deep-sea fishing fleets are among the most active in the world, so even for blobfish, the seafloor is no longer an ideal habitat for them. Large areas of the deep sea are under threat from bottom trawls. Bottom trawling is the most destructive form of fishing.

The southern ocean has also established certain deep-sea protected areas, but these only protect corals rather than blobfish. Oceans as deep as 200 meters are also overfished, and fishing operations are starting to move away from those continental shelves and into the deep ocean at depths of 2,000 meters.