Endangered
At very high risk in the wild. 51 fish on EveryFish so far.
Endangered is the middle of the three IUCN Red List threatened categories. An Endangered species faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild, for example after a fall of 50 per cent or more in numbers over ten years or three generations. Fish listed as Endangered include the whale shark, the giant oceanic manta ray, the humphead wrasse, the golden mahseer and the Japanese eel.
Giants of the sea
The whale shark was moved to Endangered in 2016 after its numbers fell by more than half in the Indo-Pacific, mainly from fishing and collisions with ships. The giant oceanic manta ray, the shortfin mako and the basking shark are also Endangered. The humphead wrasse, a reef giant, has been Endangered since 2004 because of the live reef fish trade. The southern bluefin tuna improved from Critically Endangered to Endangered in 2021 under catch limits.
India's endangered fish
The golden mahseer of Himalayan rivers is Endangered, harmed by dams, sand mining, pollution and poaching. The magur, the native air-breathing catfish of Indian ponds and swamps, was listed as Endangered in 2023 as wetlands were drained and the invasive African catfish spread. The Denison barb of Kerala's hill streams is Endangered after years of collection for the aquarium trade and habitat loss. Hatcheries now breed all three.
Famous endangered fish
Whale sharkEndangered since 2016
Giant oceanic manta raySlow-breeding, caught for gill plates
Humphead wrasseTaken for the live reef fish trade
Golden mahseerThe golden mahseer
Southern bluefin tunaImproved from Critically Endangered in 2021
Magur catfishIndia's native magur catfish
Denison barbA Kerala hill-stream fishStill to be written: Japanese eel.
Further reading
🇨🇦 Canada and 4 moreAtlantic halibut
The world's largest flatfish, found in the North Atlantic.Flatfish · Coasts and shelves
WorldPelagic thresher
The smallest thresher shark, found in tropical oceans and known for its whip-like tail.Shark · Open ocean · 1935
WorldWhite marlin
A fast-swimming billfish of the Atlantic Ocean.Other · Open ocean · 1860
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreHumphead wrasse
The largest reef-dwelling wrasse, known for its forehead hump and endangered status.Reef fish · Coasts and shelves · 1801
WorldBasking shark
The second-largest living fish, a slow-moving filter feeder found in temperate oceans worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1765
🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreReticulate whipray
A large spotted stingray from the western Indian Ocean and eastern Mediterranean.Ray · Coasts and shelves · 1789
WorldHammerhead shark
Sharks with T-shaped heads for better vision and sensing prey.Shark · Coasts and shelves
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreCaribbean reef shark
Large requiem shark of western Atlantic coral reefsShark · Coasts and shelves · 1876
WorldLongfin mako shark
A rare, deep-water mackerel shark with long pectoral finsShark · Open ocean · 1966
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreBonnethead
A small hammerhead shark with a spade-shaped head and omnivorous diet.Shark · Coasts and shelves
South AsiaWinghead shark
A small hammerhead with an exceptionally wide cephalofoil.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1822
WorldSicklefin lemon shark
Large Indo-Pacific requiem shark with sickle-shaped fins.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1837
WorldDusky shark
Large migratory requiem shark found in warm seas worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1818
WorldShortfin mako shark
Fastest known shark species, reaching speeds of 74 km/h.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1809
WorldZebra shark
A carpet shark with changing patterns, found in Indo-Pacific reefs.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1781
EuropeUndulate ray
A threatened skate with wavy brown markings found in the East Atlantic.Ray · Coasts and shelves
WorldAmerican plaice
North Atlantic flatfish found on soft seabedsFlatfish · Coasts and shelves
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Southern bluefin tuna: Gustavo200897, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Atlantic halibut: Vsevolod Rudyi, CC BY 4.0, source
- Pelagic thresher: Pierre Pericard, CC BY 4.0, source
- White marlin: dominic sherony, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Humphead wrasse: R Vasconcellos, CC BY 4.0, source
- Giant oceanic manta ray: jon hanson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Whale shark: User:Zac Wolf (original), en:User:Stefan (cropping), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Basking shark: Greg Skomal / NOAA Fisheries Service, Public domain, source
- Golden mahseer: Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Reticulate whipray: Aurimas Mikalauskas, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mako shark: NOAA Observer Program, Public domain, source
- Hammerhead shark: suneko, CC BY 2.0, source
- Caribbean reef shark: Albert kok, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bonnethead: Valerie Everett, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Winghead shark: Sir Francis Day, Public domain, source
- Sicklefin lemon shark: Patrick Quinn-Graham, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dusky shark: Happy Little Nomad, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Denison barb: Mattia Nocciola, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shortfin mako shark: Mark Conlin, SWFSC Large Pelagics Program, Public domain, source
- Zebra shark: jon hanson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Undulate ray: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Magur catfish: Francis Day (1829–1889), Public domain, source
- American plaice: André-Philippe D. Picard, CC BY-SA 3.0, source