4. 1. The Blackfin Cisco
A "salmonid" fish, and hence closely related to
salmon and trout, the Blackfin Cisco was one
plentiful in the Great Lakes, but recently
succumbed to a combination of overfishing and
predation by not one, but three, invasive
species (the Alewife, the Rainbow Smelt, and a genus of sea lamprey). The
Blackfin Cisco didn't disappear from the Great Lakes all at once: the last
attested Lake Huron sighing was in 1960, the last Lake Michigan sighting in
1969, and the last known sighting of all (near Thunder Bay, Ontario) in
2006.
5. 2. The Blue Walleye
Also known as the Blue Pike, the Blue
Walleye was fished out of the Great
Lakes by the bucketload from the late
19th century to the middle 20th--the last
known specimen being sighted in the early
1980's. It wasn't only overfishing that led to the Blue Walleye's
demise; we can also blame the introduction of an invasive species, the
Rainbow Smelt, and industrial pollution from surrounding factories.
Many people claim to have caught Blue Walleyes, but experts believe
these were actually blue-tinged Yellow Walleyes, which are still
extant.
6. 3. The Galapagos Damsel
The Galapagos Islands are where Charles
Darwin laid much of the groundwork for
the theory of evolution--and today, this
distant archipelago harbors some of the
world's most endangered species. The
Galapagos Damsel didn't fall victim to human interference: rather, this
plankton-eating fish never recovered from a temporary increase in
local water temperatures (caused by the El Niño currents of the early
1980's) that drastically reduced plankton populations. Some experts
harbor the hope that remnants of this fish persist off the coast of
Peru.
7. 4. The Gravenche
You might think that Lake Geneva, on the
border of Switzerland and France, would enjoy
more ecological protection than the Great
Lakes of the capitalist-minded U.S. This is, in
fact, largely the case, but these regulations
came too late for the Gravenche, a foot-long salmon relative that was
overfished in the late 19th century, had virtually disappeared by the
early 1920's, and was last seen in 1950. Adding insult to injury, there
are apparently no Gravenche specimens (either on display or in storage) in
any of the world's natural history museums!
8. 5. The Harelip Sucker
Considering how colorful (not to mention
insulting) its name is, surprisingly little is
known about the Harelip Sucker, which was
last seen in the late 19th century. The first
specimen of this seven-inch-long fish, native to
the rushing freshwater streams of the southeastern U.S., was caught in
1859, and only described nearly 20 years later. By then, the Harelip
Sucker was already nearly extinct, doomed by the relentless infusion of
silt into its otherwise pristine ecosystem. Did it have a harelip, and did it
suck? You'll have to visit a museum to find out!
9. 6. The Lake Titicaca Orestias
If fish can go extinct in the vast Great
Lakes, it should come as no surprise that
they can also disappear from Lake Titicaca
in South America, which is an order of
magnitude smaller. Also known as the Amanto,
the Lake Titicaca Orestias was a small, unprepossessing fish with an
unusually large head and a distinctive underbite, doomed in the mid-20th
century by the introduction into Lake Titicaca of various species of
trout. If you want to see this fish today, you'll have to travel all the way
to the National Museum of Natural History in the Netherlands, where
there are two preserved specimens.
10. 7. The Silver Trout
Of all the fish on this list, you might assume
the Silver Trout fell victim to human
overconsumption; after all, who doesn't like
trout for dinner? In fact, this fish was
extremely rare even when it was first
discovered; the only known specimens were native to three small lakes in
New Hampshire, and were likely the remnants of a larger population that
was dragged northward by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago.
Never common to begin with, the Silver Trout was doomed by the stocking
of recreational fish, and the last attested individuals were dredged up in
1930.
11. 8. The Tecopa Pupfish
Not only exotic bacteria thrive in conditions
that humans would find hostile to life: witness
the late, lamented Tacopa Pupfish, which swam
in the hot springs of California's Mojave
Desert (average water temperature: about 110
degrees Fahrenheit). The Pupfish could survive harsh environmental
conditions, but it couldn't survive human encroachment: a health fad in the
1950's and 1960's led to the construction of bathhouses in the hot
springs' vicinity, and the springs themselves were artificially enlarged and
diverted. The last Tecopa Pupfish was caught in early 1970, and there
have been no confirmed sightings since.
12. 9. The Thicktail Chub
Compared to the Great Lakes or Lake Titicaca,
the Thicktail Chub lived in a relatively
unappealing habitat: the marshes, lowlands,
and weed-choked backwaters of California's
Central Valley. As recently as 1900, the small,
minnow-sized Thicktail Chub was one of the most common fish in the
Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay, and it helped to nourish central
California's Native American population. Sadly, this fish was doomed both
by overfishing (to service the burgeoning population of San Francisco) and
the conversion of its habitat for agriculture; the last attested sighting was
in the late 1950's.
13. 10. The Yellowfin Cutthroat Trout
The Yellowfin Cutthroat Trout sounds like a
legend straight out of the American West: a
10-pound trout, sporting bright yellow fins,
that had been spotted in the Twin Lakes of
Colorado during the late 19th century. As it
turns out, the Yellowfin wasn't the hallucination of some inebriated
cowboy, but an actual trout subspecies that was described by a pair of
academics in the 1891 Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission.
Unfortunately, the Yellowfin Cutthroat Trout was doomed by the
introduction of the more fecund Rainbow Trout in the early 20th century;
it's survived by its close relative, the smaller Greenback Cutthroat Trout.
15. 1. Atlantic Halibut
Found in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Atlantic
halibut is the largest of the flat fish species.
Boasting a 50-year lifespan, it can reach a
length of 9 feet and weigh up to 1,000 pounds.
But because this slow-growing fish does not
become sexually mature until it's 10 to 14 years old, it's particularly
susceptible to overfishing. While Atlantic halibut are normally caught with
hooks-and-lines, they're often caught as bycatch in bottom trawl
fisheries. The IUCN classifies them as endangered, and their numbers are
not expected recover in the near future. This has prompted the United
States to ban Atlantic halibut fishing in its coastal waters.
16. 2. Beluga Sturgeon
While the beluga sturgeon is popular for its
fillets, its eggs, known as "true caviar," are
regarded as a delicacy. Native to the Caspian
Sea, these ancient fish can grow to 15 feet in
length, weigh more than a ton and live to be 100
years old. Due to the popularity of their eggs, they're heavily overfished --
typically with gill nets. This particularly problematic because this species that
doesn't reach sexual maturity until 20 or 25 years of age. In addition to fishing
pressures, beluga sturgeon suffer from habitat reduction, having lost 90 percent
of their historic spawning grounds over the past several decades. Because of
these pressures, the IUCN classified the beluga sturgeon as endangered, and
the population is expected to continue its decline.
17. 3. Acadian Redfish
This species of North Atlantic fish grows to
about 20 inches in length and can live as long as
50 years. Like other overfished species, the
Acadian redfish is slow-growing and reaches
reproductive age late -- at about eight or nine
years old. Intensive trawling over the last 10 years has led to the smallest
yields since commercial fishing of the species commenced in the 1930s.
Worse, the Acadian redfish has been subject to pirate fishing, or fishing
done in violation of environmental law. For these reasons, the IUCN lists
the species as endangered.
18. 4. Orange Roughy
Also known as the "slimehead," the orange
roughy has a wide-ranging habitat that includes
the coasts of New Zealand, Australia, Namibia
and the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Its life
expectancy is up to 149 years, and it reaches
sexual maturation age between 20 and 32 years, making it the epitome of a
species inherently vulnerable to overfishing. The pressure of overfishing is
amplified by fishermen's tendency to trawl for orange roughy when the fish
congregate to feed and breed. The resulting catches wipe out generations.
Though the IUCN hasn't reviewed this species to determine if it is endangered,
a number of other organizations have recognized the significant decline in its
numbers after only 25 years of commercial harvesting.
19. 5. Winter Skate
The winter skate is a fascinating species known to
deter predators and stun prey with a quick jolt of
electricity. Most are found in the northwest Atlantic
Ocean, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada to
North Carolina in the United States. Once thought to
be a "trash fish," the winter skate is now harvested and processed into fishmeal and
lobster bait, and is even marketed for human consumption. Increased trawling for the
species has resulted in the accidental capture of juveniles, which are easily mistaken
for smaller, more abundant species. This has led to a staggering population decline
among winter skate, which are slow to reach sexual maturity and have few offspring.
Experts blame these factors for a 90 percent reduction in mature individuals since
the 1970s. This devastating decline has earned the winter skate a critically
endangered rating from the IUCN.
20. 6. Bocaccio Rockfish
Of the more than 70 species of rockfish living off
the United States' west coast, the bocaccio
rockfish is one of the most endangered. While this
3-foot fish reaches reproductive age sooner than
many overfished species -- as early as four to five
years -- its larvae have a very low survival rate. Changes in ocean currents and
temperature since the 1970s mean that large numbers of bocaccio larvae live to
become juveniles only once every 20 years. In response to their dwindling
numbers, the United States closed several fisheries along the West Coast in
2002. But even without trawling in these areas, scientists believe it could take
100 years for bocaccio populations to recover. With such significant challenges
to recovery, the IUCN has listed the species as critically endangered.
21. 7. European Eel
Found primarily in the North Atlantic and the
Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, European eel face
a unique set of survival challenges. They have a
fascinating development cycle, which begins with
their birth out at sea and continues in freshwater
streams thousands of miles inland, where they can grow to a length of 4.5.
When they reach sexual maturity, at anywhere from 6 to 30 years of age, they
return to the sea to spawn. If their route to the sea is blocked, they return to
freshwater and can live for 50 years. But if they make it back to salt water
and reproduce, they die. Because of this unusual life cycle, any eel that is
caught at sea is a juvenile that has not yet had a chance to spawn. This has
resulted in catastrophic overfishing of the European eel, and a critically
endangered rating from IUCN.
22. 8. Goliath Grouper
All species of grouper are endangered to some
extent, but the Goliath Grouper is particularly
threatened. Also known as the jewfish, it lives in
the subtropical areas of the eastern Pacific (from
Baja California to Peru) and the Atlantic (from
North Carolina to Brazil). As the name suggests, it's a very large fish, growing
to 7 feet in length in its 40-year life span. Overfishing of the Goliath grouper
is a result of two main issues. First, it reproduces for only a short period of
time, resulting in relatively few offspring compared to other species. Second,
juveniles often become accidental bycatch in other fishing operations. What fish
remain are targeted during spawning by hook-and-line fishing boats. Out of
concern for the Goliath grouper's survival, the United States banned harvest of
the species, and the IUCN rated them as critically endangered.
23. 9. Maltese Ray
Historically, the Maltese ray populated the
Mediterranean Sea in the coastal waters of Italy,
Algeria, Malta and Tunisia. Today, its range is
limited to the heavily-fished Strait of Sicily, a
90-mile-wide channel between Italy and Tunisia.
Though little is known about this particular species, it likely displays
characteristics similar to other rays: It grows slowly, matures late and produces
few offspring. Commercial fishing vessels rarely target the Maltese ray.
Rather, it is taken as bycatch in boats harvesting other species. Once they're
caught, these unwanted fish are thrown back into the water, dead or dying.
The decreasing population of this species and the slow response by regional
governments to save it earned the Maltese ray a critically endangered rating
from the IUCN.
24. 10. Bluefin Tuna
Perhaps the most iconic of endangered fish, the
bluefin tuna occupies most of the northern
Atlantic Ocean. One of the fastest fish in the
sea, this species can grow to a length of 10
feet and weigh more than 1,400 pounds. This
species' reputation as a fighter has made it a popular catch among
recreational fisherman. And at a going rate of up to $100,000 per fish,
it's highly prized by commercial fisherman as well. Bluefin tuna are heavily
overfished, and most experts agree that without prompt intervention, the
slow-growing, slow-maturing species will become extinct. International
regulation is tricky, however, since the bluefin tuna is known to migrate
thousands of miles across the ocean. And so far, efforts to control
harvests have largely failed. Chosen by the WWF (formerly known as the
World Wildlife Fund) as the sixth most threatened species in the world,
sea or land, the bluefin tuna is by all measures critically endangered.
26. 1. Pelagic Thresher
The pelagic thresher is a species of thresher
shark; this group of sharks is characterized by
the greatly elongated upper lobes of
their caudal fins. The pelagic thresher occurs in
the tropical and subtropical waters of
the Indian and Pacific Oceans, usually far from shore but occasionally
entering coastal habitats. It is often confused with the common
thresher, even in professional publications, but can be distinguished by
the dark, rather than white, color over the bases of its pectoral fins.
The smallest of the three thresher species, the pelagic thresher
typically measures 3 m (10 ft) long.
27. 2. Eulachon
Eulachon are distinguished by the large canine
teeth on the vomer bone and 18 to 23 rays in
the anal fin. Like salmon and trout they have
an adipose fin; it is sickle-shaped. The paired
fins are longer in males than in females. All
fins have well-developed breeding tubercles (raised tissue "bumps") in ripe
males, but these are poorly developed or absent in females. Adult
coloration is brown to blue on the back and top of the head, lighter to
silvery white on the sides, and white on the ventral surface; speckling is
fine, sparse, and restricted to the back. Adults can reach maximum
lengths of 30 cm (1 ft) but most adults are between 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8
in.) They feed on plankton but only while at sea.
28. 3. Canary Rockfish
As the name suggests, this rockfish is notable
for a general orange-yellow appearance,
consisting of a blotchy orange pattern over a
whitish or light gray background. The head has
three stripes angling downwards and back, the
middle one generally running across the eye, and the other two on each
side of the eye. The Lateral line is in a clear area. The fins are orange,
with the pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins somewhat pointed and larger (thus
the species epithet pinniger, meaning "I bear a large fin"). Some individuals
have dark blotches on the body or dorsal fin. Maximum recorded length if
76 cm (29.6 in).
29. 4. Chinook Salmon
The Chinook salmon is the largest species in the
Pacific salmon genus. Other commonly used names
for the species include king salmon, Quinnat
salmon, spring salmon and Tyee salmon. Chinook
are anadromous fish native to the north Pacific Ocean and the river systems of
western North America ranging from California to Alaska. They are also native to
Asian rivers ranging from northern Japan to the Palyavaam River in the Siberian far
east, although only the Kamchatka Peninsula supports relatively persistent native
populations. They have been introduced to other parts of the world, including New
Zealand and the Great Lakes. A large Chinook is a prized and sought-after catch for
a sporting angler. The flesh of the salmon is also highly valued for its dietary
nutritional content, which includes high levels of important omega-3 fatty acids. Some
populations are endangered, though Chinook salmon have not been assessed for
the IUCN Red List.
30. 5. Chum Salmon
The body of the chum salmon is deeper than most
salmonid species. In common with other species found
in the Pacific, the anal fin has 12 to 20 rays,
compared with a maximum of 12 in European species.
Chum have an ocean coloration of silvery blue green
with some indistinct spotting in a darker shade, and a rather paler belly. When they
move into fresh water the color changes to dark olive green and the belly color
deepens. When adults are near spawning, they have purple blotchy streaks near
the caudal peduncle, darker towards the tail. Spawning males typically grow an
elongated snout or kype, their lower fins become tipped with white and they have
enlarged teeth. Some researchers speculate these characteristics are used to
compete for mates.
31. 6. Coho Salmon
During their ocean phase, Coho salmon have q
silver sides and dark-blue backs. During their
spawning phase, their jaws and teeth become
hooked. After entering fresh water, they
develop bright-red sides, bluish-green heads
and backs, dark bellies and dark spots on their backs. Sexually maturing
fish develop a light-pink or rose shading along the belly, and the males
may show a slight arching of the back. Mature adults have a pronounced
red skin color with darker backs and average 28 inches (71 cm) and 7 to
11 pounds (3.2 to 5.0 kg), occasionally reaching up to 36 pounds (16 kg).
Mature females may be darker than males, with both showing a pronounced
hook on the nose.
32. 7. Green Sturgeon
Green Sturgeon are similar in appearance to the
sympatric white sturgeon, except the barbells
are closer to the mouth than the tip of the
long, narrow snout. The dorsal row of scutes
numbers 8-11, lateral rows, 23-30, and bottom
rows, 7-10; there is one large scute behind the dorsal fin as well as the
anal fin (both lacking in white sturgeon). The scutes also tend to be
sharper and more pointed than in the white sturgeon. The dorsal fin has
33-36 rays, the anal fin, 22-28. The body color is olive green with an
olivaceous stripe on each side; the scute are paler than the body.
33. 8. Gulf Sturgeon
The Gulf sturgeon is a subspecies of sturgeon that
lives in the Gulf of Mexico and some rivers draining
into it. The Gulf sturgeon was first recognized as
a separate subspecies in 1955. The nominate
subspecies is the Atlantic sturgeon. The gulf sturgeon is listed as threatened
under the United States Endangered Species Act, having been listed in 1991.
Critical habitat, reflecting the current range of the subspecies, has been
designated. The historical range is thought to have been from the Suwanee
River on the western coast of Florida to the Mississippi River, and marine
waters of the central and eastern portions of the Gulf of Mexico. Three
sturgeon species in genus Scaphirhynchus share river territory with the Gulf
sturgeon; none of these is anadromous.
34. 9. Steelhead Trout
The steelhead has the same general appearance
as other rainbow trout, particularly when young.
Sea-running (anadromy) occurs in both the
coastal and interior forms of rainbow trout.
The adult has a more streamlined, torpedo-like body shape than the
resident rainbow. The male’s jaw lengthens at maturity and forms a ‘kype’
or knob on the tip, similar to Pacific salmon. When fresh from the sea,
they are usually very bright and silvery. As they approach spawning a pink
to red lateral line appears that extends over the gill covers then gradually
they darken to a dull grey or brown.
35. 10. Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
On average, males measure 1.5 to 1.8 m (4.9 to
5.9 ft) and weigh approximately 29 kg (64 lb) when
they attain sexual maturity, whereas the larger
females measure 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and weigh 80 kg
(180 lb) on average at sexual maturity. The maximum length of the scalloped
hammerhead is 4.3 m (14 ft) and the maximum weight 152.4 kg (336 lb),
per Fish Base. A female caught off of Miami was found to have measured
3.26 m (10.7 ft) and reportedly weighed 200 kg (440 lb), though was in
a gravid state at that point. These sharks have a very high metabolic rate,
governing behavior in the acquirement of food. These sharks occupy tertiary
trophic levels. The scalloped hammerhead shark, like many other species, will
use the shore as a breeding ground. Due to high metabolic rates, young
scalloped hammerhead sharks need a lot of food, or they will starve.
