An 81-year-old tropical fish caught off a West Australian reef has been identified as the oldest known to science.
The octogenarian midnight snapper was found at the Rowley Shoals about 180 miles west of Broome and beat the previous record-holder by two decades. Researchers also caught a 79-year-old red bass in the same area.
They were among 11 over the age of 60 caught as part of a study attempting to establish how warming oceans will affect the biology of reef fish, including their lifespans and growth.
Dr Brett Taylor, of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, who is leading the study, said: “Until now, the oldest fish that we’ve found in shallow, tropical waters have been around 60 years old.”
Marine scientists are able