Shortspine Chimaera

Shortspine Chimaera, Chimaera obscura. Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial

The Shortspine Chimaera (Chimaera obscura) is a deep-sea chimaera found at 1,025-1,080 metres deep on the continental slope off New South Wales (Australia). The full extent of its range is unknown. 

Maximum size of this animal is about 95 cm total length (TL). No deepwater trawl fisheries overlap the range of this species. Little else is known about these animals as we only have three specimens to tell us all we know. Until we know more, the IUCN has assessed these animals as Data Deficient (DD).

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GLOSSARY

• ​Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
• Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
• Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. It is an ideal area for deep sea fishing.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Trawl fisheries: Fisheries that pull a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. 

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