From Otolith Growth Rings That Read Like Tree Cores To 137 Longevity-Associated Genes And A Butyrophilin Immune Expansion: The Rockfish That Hatched In 1821 Is Also The Fish Most Likely To Be Wiped Out Before It Reproduces
According to Space Daily, citing a 2021 study published in Science by Kolora, Owens, and Peter Sudmant at the University of California, Berkeley, the rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus); a slow-growing red fish of the deep North Pacific is one of the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth. The oldest documented individual ever caught was 205 years old. It would have hatched in 1821, a decade before Darwin sailed on the Beagle.
The Berkeley team sequenced the genomes of 88 rockfish species to identify why some live over two centuries while closely related species die within a decade. They found 137 longevity-associated genes repeatedly enriched in long-lived species; many in DNA repair pathways, some in insulin signalling (linked to lifespan across species from fruit flies to humans), and expansions in the butyrophilin family of immune-modulatory genes that appear to suppress inflammation over time. Body size at maturity and ocean depth together predict roughly 60% of lifespan variation across the genus. The remaining 40% is genetic.
The consequence for fisheries is urgent. A rougheye does not reach reproductive maturity until age 20 and may not produce its peak egg output for decades beyond that. A trawled population may take centuries to recover; not years or decades.
To check out our previous coverage on marine biology, longevity science, and environmental conservation, read our articles here.
