List of endangered fishes


In September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed 643 endangered fish species. Of all evaluated fish species, 4.2% are listed as endangered.
The IUCN also lists ten fish subspecies as endangered.
Of the subpopulations of fishes evaluated by the IUCN, 24 species subpopulations have been assessed as endangered.
For a species to be considered endangered by the IUCN it must meet certain quantitative criteria which are designed to classify taxa facing "a very high risk of extinction". An even higher risk is faced by critically endangered species, which meet the quantitative criteria for endangered species. Critically endangered fishes are listed separately. There are 1098 fish species which are endangered or critically endangered.
Additionally 3191 fish species are listed as data deficient, meaning there is insufficient information for a full assessment of conservation status. As these species typically have small distributions and/or populations, they are intrinsically likely to be threatened, according to the IUCN. While the category of data deficient indicates that no assessment of extinction risk has been made for the taxa, the IUCN notes that it may be appropriate to give them "the same degree of attention as threatened taxa, at least until their status can be assessed".
This is a complete list of endangered fish species and subspecies evaluated by the IUCN. Species and subspecies which have endangered subpopulations are indicated.

Cartilaginous fishes

Chondrichthyes includes sharks, rays, skates, and saw-fish. There are 124 cartilaginous fishes classified as endangered by the IUCN.

Prickly sharks

'''Species'''

Skates

Subpopulations
  • ''Squatina guggenheim''

    Mackerel sharks

Subpopulations
  • Basking shark
  • Porbeagle

    Rays and skates

Ground sharks

Species
Subpopulations
  • Sicklefin lemon shark
  • Scalloped hammerhead

    Carpet sharks

  • Whale shark

    Squaliformes

Species
  • Dumb gulper shark
Subpopulations
There are 592 species, ten subspecies, and three subpopulations of ray-finned fish assessed as endangered.

Salmoniformes

Species
Subpopulations
  • Sockeye salmon

    Silversides

Toothcarps

There are 65 species and nine subspecies of toothcarp assessed as endangered.

Pupfish

Species
Subspecies
  • Dead Sea toothcarp

    Nothobranchiids

Species
'''Subspecies'''

Poeciliids

Other toothcarp species

Cypriniformes

Cypriniformes includes carps, minnows, loaches and relatives. There are 245 species in the order Cypriniformes assessed as endangered.

Ellopostomatids

  • ''Ellopostoma mystax''

    Hillstream loaches

True loaches

Cyprinids

Psilorhynchids

  • ''Psilorhynchus microphthalmus''

    Suckers

Osmeriformes

Species
Subspecies
  • ''Plecoglossus altivelis ryukyuensis''

    Catfishes

Perciformes

There are 133 species and one subpopulation in the order Perciformes assessed as endangered.

Cichlids

Percids

Epinephelids

Gobies

Other Perciformes

Species
Subpopulations
  • Swordfish

    Osteoglossiformes

Characiformes

Tetraodontiformes

Other ray-finned fishes

Species
Subpopulations
  • White sturgeon

    Hagfishes

  • Myxine paucidens
  • ''Paramyxine taiwanae''