orange roughy
Hoplostethus atlanticus · Trachichthyidae · predator
Deep-sea fish, brick red, reaching 75 cm and up to 7 kg. It is exploited by commercial fishing in waters of 400 to 900 m.
Also called: peixe-laranja-áspero, reloj anaranjado, orange roughy
- maximum
- 75 cm
- record/max.
- 7.0 kg
- depth
- 400–900 m
the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the orange roughy
who is the orange roughy
The family Trachichthyidae includes deep-sea fish with deep bodies. This species reaches 75 cm and 7 kg, and is found in several oceans, including the eastern Pacific, off Chile. It lives in cold, deep waters, on continental slopes, oceanic ridges and seamounts, generally from 400 to 900 m. It feeds on crustaceans and fish. It grows very slowly and is one of the longest-lived fish species known. Commercial fishing targets it at spawning aggregations and outside spawning, and the flesh is sold fresh and frozen.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the orange roughy.
fun facts
- It can live up to 149 years, one of the longest-lived fish known.
identification
Deep, bright brick-red body, with the mouth and gill cavity dark blue, almost black. It has bony plates along the belly. It lives in cold, deep waters, on slopes and seamounts. Its brick-red color, together with the dark blue mouth, separates it from other deep-sea fish of Chile.
where found
Widely distributed species, in the Atlantic, the southern Indian Ocean, New Zealand and the eastern Pacific. In Latin America it is recorded from Chile, in deep sea, generally from 400 to 900 m.
Habitat: Continental slopes, oceanic ridges and seamounts, generally from 400 to 900 m.
rules for the orange roughy
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Harmless to anglers. Because it lives in deep water, rapid ascent can cause barotrauma: if the catch comes from great depth, return it carefully.
in the kitchen
Sold fresh and frozen, it is prepared steamed, fried, in the microwave or baked.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02239, b = 3.08; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Hoplostethus atlanticus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hoplostethus atlanticusNames by country and language.
where each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: