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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
WorldSpiny dogfish A temperate shark with dorsal spines and a long lifespan, heavily fished for food.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1758 WorldSandbar shark Large coastal requiem shark with a high dorsal finShark · Coasts and shelves 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNurse shark A bottom-dwelling shark found in tropical coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific.Shark · Coasts and shelves WorldLemon shark A social, yellow-skinned requiem shark of shallow tropical waters.Shark · Coasts and shelves · 1868

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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