Europe's smallest fish

Two scuba divers; Rachel Hope and Richard Shucksmith while shore diving just off the Shetland coast at Lunne discovered Europe’s smallest marine fish, Guillet’s Goby – a mere 24mm in length.

Gobies, from the Gobiidae family, is one of the largest families of fish with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. The majority of Gobies never grow larger than 10cm (4ins). To find a Guillet Goby is rare with only a handful of sightings in Europe since 1971. Guillet Gobies grow to a maximum size of 24mm making them difficult to spot.

Little is currently known about the biology of Guillet’s gobies. This species have never been recorded in Scotland and only four in England. What is known about them is scant; however they are known to live in shallow waters such as rock pools, tide pools and coral reefs. They can lay anywhere from five to a few hundred eggs, depending on species.

Gobies in warmer waters tend to reach adulthood in a matter of months, while those in cooler environments can take up to two years. The total lifespan of gobies varies from a single year to up to ten years, again with the temperate species generally living longer.

The pair of gobies found in Shetland were females and appeared to be swollen with eggs. This leads one to the conclusion Guillet’s Gobies are alive and well and more may be discovered in the not too distant future in Scotland. Few of the Goby species are important as food for humans, they are of great significance as prey species for commercially important fish like cod, haddock, sea bass and flatfish.

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