There has been much confusion about the lifespan of the orange roughy species. When the fish first came to the market, it was believed that they only lived to about 30 years of age. Later in the '90s, it was discovered that the orange roughy lived a much longer life than that. The average lifespan of the fish is now estimated to be between 125-156 years! However, much older specimens have been discovered in many places. In 2015, an orange roughy of 230 years old was caught in New Zealand, while in Tasmania, the oldest fish ever caught had a record age of 250 years! In comparison, the bowhead whale lives up to 200 years.