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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

Vulnerable

At high risk in the wild. 83 fish on EveryFish so far.

Vulnerable is the lowest of the three IUCN Red List categories for threatened species. A Vulnerable species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild, judged by measures such as a fall of 30 per cent or more in numbers over ten years or three generations, or a small and shrinking range. Fish listed as Vulnerable include the great white shark, the ocean sunfish, the Atlantic cod and the silver pomfret.

Big, slow and caught

Many Vulnerable fish are large, slow-growing species that are easily overfished, such as the great white and bull sharks, the reef manta ray and the ocean sunfish, which is caught as bycatch in drift nets and longlines. The Atlantic cod was listed in 1996 after the collapse of its north-west Atlantic stocks. The common carp, invasive in many places, is listed as Vulnerable in its native range in the rivers around the Black and Caspian Seas, where wild populations have declined.

Indian fish at risk

The silver pomfret, Maharashtra's state fish, is listed as Vulnerable, with landings falling along India's west coast. The boal, a large river catfish of South Asia, the spotted seahorse and the mrigal carp of the south are also Vulnerable. The Siamese fighting fish is Vulnerable in the wild in Thailand and nearby countries, though it is bred by the millions for the aquarium trade, which shows how a common pet can be a rare wild animal.

Famous vulnerable fish

Great white sharkVulnerable worldwideOcean sunfishCaught as bycatch in many fisheriesAtlantic codListed Vulnerable in 1996Bull sharkVulnerable since 2021Reef manta raySlow-breeding and much fishedSilver pomfretThe silver pomfretBoalBoal, a South Asian river catfishSiamese fighting fishRare in the wild, common in tanks

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
WorldTawny nurse shark A large Indo-Pacific carpet shark known for octopus hunting and spitting water.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1831 WorldCopper shark Temperate requiem shark with bronze skin and hooked teethShark · Coasts and shelves · 1870 WorldWhitetip reef shark Small Indo-Pacific reef shark with white-tipped finsShark · Coasts and shelves · 1837 WorldMilk shark A small coastal requiem shark found in tropical waters worldwide.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1837 WorldCommon thresher The largest thresher shark, known for its whip-like tail used to stun prey in cool coastal and open waters.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1788 WorldPorbeagle A fast, cold-water mackerel shark found in the Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1788 WorldSilky shark A fast, migratory requiem shark found in tropical oceans worldwide.Shark · Open ocean · 1839 WorldBroadnose sevengill shark A large coastal shark with seven gill slits and spotted skin.Shark · Coasts and shelves WorldSpinner shark A fast requiem shark known for spinning leaps out of water.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1839 WorldPigeye shark A robust coastal requiem shark often confused with the bull shark.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1839 WorldKitefin shark A deep-sea squaliform shark known for its bioluminescence and large oil-filled liver.Shark · Deep sea · 1788 WorldSpiny dogfish A temperate shark with dorsal spines and a long lifespan, heavily fished for food.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldBigeye thresher Deep-diving shark with huge eyes and a long tail.Shark · Open ocean · 1840 WorldSmooth hammerhead Temperate hammerhead shark with a curved head marginShark · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldBlacktip reef shark Small coral reef shark with distinct black fin tipsShark · Coasts and shelves · 1824 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNurse shark A bottom-dwelling shark found in tropical coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific.Shark · Coasts and shelves WorldBlacktip shark A coastal requiem shark known for spinning leaps and black-tipped fins.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1839 WorldLemon shark A social, yellow-skinned requiem shark of shallow tropical waters.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1868 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreRed grouper A large marine fish from the western Atlantic known for its reddish colour and role in reef ecosystems.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1828 WorldThresher shark Large pelagic sharks with tails as long as their bodies, used to stun prey.Shark · Open ocean EuropeNursehound A large catshark of the northeastern Atlantic with rough skin and spotted patterns.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758

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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