Nothing is known about the behavior or life cycle of the smooth handfish. Everything we know is from one specimen gathered with a dipnet by French scientist, François Péron. He noted that the smooth handfish was quite common in the waters off the southeast of Tasmania. There have been many theories about what led to the decline and extinction of the smooth handfish, but the exact reasons may never fully be known. Those same factors have led to the remaining 13 species of handfish being endangered or critically endangered, with the red handfish numbering less than 100. Some people have blamed the curry scallop pie, as leading to the demise of the smooth handfish, but that pie wasn't invented until the 1900's, one hundred years after the last smooth handfish was observed. Dredging practices used to gather scallops and other sea life has greatly impacted the habitats of all handfish. Their limited mobility, made it hard for them to adapt to changes in habitat. Development and pollution are factors that are affecting handfish today. Other historical factors include sea urchins affecting the seaweed that handfish use for protection and laying their eggs. The invasive North Pacific seastar is another factor. Some scientists also point to the fact that handfish live in shallow, frigid water coming north from Antarctica. The average water temperature has risen in temperature about 5 degrees Fahrenheit since records were kept. All of these factors may have led to the extinction of the smooth handfish and the endangerment of its 13 relatives. Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex, a type of wild goat, for 7 minutes before it died, showing de-extinction is possible. The smooth handfish might be a candidate for de-extinction. Scientists would potentially use DNA from the one and only specimen known to exist, although that specimen was collected in 1802. Australia has done many things to protect its native wildlife on land and in the sea, including stopping dredging practices in 1967, but all 13 handfish species are still endangered. The Handfish Conservation Project is establishing a recovery plan for the red handfish, spotted handfish, and Ziebell's handfish. They are currently trying to save the red handfish from extinction, even raising money by letting people name each remaining red handfish for a $1,000 donation. These efforts still might not be enough to save the red handfish from the effects of invasive species and climate change. If the smooth handfish were to return to the waters off the southeast coast of Tasmania, would they be able to survive?