News
RiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-NicolaRiversEl Niño seen disrupting fish migration patternsSpeciesScientists Discover Mysterious New Fish in the Red Sea – and Have Never Seen It AgainOceanEye to eye with Britain's hidden sharks at SharkAdemy - OceanographicRiversIn October, biologists surveying a New York harbor for invasive fish pulled up a bright yellow one. It wasn't an invasive species at allOceanShedd Aquarium Sends Shark Eggs to Bolster Wild PopulationsSpeciesA rare fish has been found in Lake Ontario, North America, whose entire body is golden. It is a nati..OceanThe Great Sea Reef Is Fiji’s Wildest Dive, and a New Frontier for ConservationOceanEckerd College professor contributes to designating Biscayne Bay an Important Shark and Ray AreaSpeciesRio Verde Grande Survey Identifies Fifty-Three Fish Species Facing Flow ReductionsFisheriesAdams River Salmon Run in Thompson-Nicola
EveryFish

Critically endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction. 53 fish on EveryFish so far.

Critically Endangered is the highest risk category on the IUCN Red List for species still living in the wild. A Critically Endangered species faces an extremely high risk of extinction, for example after a fall of 80 per cent or more in numbers over ten years or three generations, or with very few adults left. Sawfish, many sturgeons, the European eel, the Mekong giant catfish and the hump-backed mahseer are here.

On the brink

The largetooth and smalltooth sawfishes have vanished from much of their former range, including large parts of India's coasts, because their saws tangle in nets. Most sturgeons, including the beluga of the Caspian, are Critically Endangered from dams and the caviar trade. The scalloped hammerhead and the oceanic whitetip shark were listed in 2019 after steep declines from fishing. The Devils Hole pupfish survives in one pool in Nevada.

India's critically endangered fish

The hump-backed mahseer of the Kaveri was listed as Critically Endangered in 2018, the year its scientific name was settled, after surveys found it had almost disappeared. The Ganges shark, a river shark of the Hooghly and the delta, is known from very few records. Both are protected under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, along with the sawfishes. Saving such fish depends on protecting the rivers and coasts where they live, not only on hatcheries.

Famous critically endangered fish

Largetooth sawfishLost from much of its rangeBeluga sturgeonThe largest sturgeonEuropean eelCritically Endangered since 2008Mekong giant catfishOne of the largest freshwater fishOrange-finned mahseerThe hump-backed mahseer, listed in 2018Scalloped hammerheadListed Critically Endangered in 2019Ganges sharkA rare river shark of IndiaDevils Hole pupfishLives in a single pool

Further reading

GroupSharkRayCarpCatfishSalmonidHerringCodTunaPerch-likeCichlidReef fishEelFlatfishLivebearerAncientOther
WaterRivers and lakesEstuaries and mangrovesCoasts and shelvesCoral reefsOpen oceanDeep seaPolar and cold seasCaves and springsBetween sea and river
UseFood fishFarmedAquarium fishSport fishingCulture and faithVenomous or dangerousInvasiveScience and research
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy size
WorldSchool shark A temperate houndshark valued for liver oil and meat.Shark · Coasts and shelves WorldCommon guitarfish A critically endangered cartilaginous fish native to the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.Shark · Coasts and shelves WorldAngelshark Flat-bodied sharks that bury themselves in sandy seabeds to ambush prey.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldGreat hammerhead The largest hammerhead shark, known for its wide cephalofoil and critically endangered status.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1837 🇮🇳 IndiaPondicherry shark A rare, small grey requiem shark from Indo-Pacific coasts.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1839 WorldScalloped hammerhead A coastal shark with a distinctive indented head.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1834

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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Every Monday: the fish of the day, new pages on EveryFish, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.