Working as a Fisheries Observer in the South Atlantic

While working in the processing area I could keep half an eye on what else was coming over the side. Once the crew realised that I was fascinated by any 'rubbish' dragged up from the bottom I had a steady supply of bizzare and unusual specimens to examine in between toothfish.

This is the big-eye grenadier. These are deepwater, benthic fish with extremely tough skins. Over 3 months we probably caught 150 of these, all of which were dead when they reached the surface. Attempts have been made to market these fish in the far east but the time and effort involved in removing the skin has probably prevented them becoming a success.

Occasionally the things that were brought to the surface were a real suprise. As well as these enormous, plasticy bryozoans(?) we caught holothurians, stone-crabs and even a pilot whale skull. Almost every day I was left with a pile of wierd and wonderful specimens to look at. What suprised me most was that so many of the specimens being brough up were so brightly coloured. Many were taken from depths of over 900 metres, a depth at which light penetration is minimal. In some areas, where to bottom consisted of what the captain termed 'coral', phenomenal quantities of holthuria, grenadiers and crabs were brough to the surface. The bottom must have a very rich fauna in these areas.

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