Fisheries Infosite

Ruby Fish Southland (RBY5)
Scientific name
Plagiogeneion rubiginosum

Physical characteristics

Rubyfish have a dark pink head, body and fins. They have silver on their sides and are paler on the underside. They can grow to a maximum length of 58 cm.

Life cycle

There has been little research on Rubyfish. The data that have been collected shows that Rubyfish are slow-growing and long-lived with maximum age estimates of 45 years old.

Habitat

Rubyfish live at depths from 50-800 m, but are most commonly found around 300 m. They feed on crustaceans, salps and myctophid fish.

 
Key statistics
Reported commercial catch1 (tonnes)
Quota value estimate2 (NZ$m)
Exports estimate2 (NZ$m)
1 Reported commercial catch is calculated for the 12 month period to 30/09/2025
2 Quota value and exports are calculated pro-rata to reported commercial catch for the 12 month period to 30/09/2025