Marine Species under Threat

Only 29 percent of the world surface is land. The rest is ocean; home to the marine lifeforms. All life on Earth is dependent on the oceans.

The definition of a threatened species is one that may become extinct if measures aren't taken to protect it. An endangered species is one that has a very small population and at greater risk of becoming extinct. Many species that become extinct never make it to the endangered species list.

	Sea Otters: The heaviest members of the weasel family, sea otters are also the second smallest marine mammals. Unlike other marine mammals, they do not have a layer of blubber to help them keep warm. Read more...
Blue Whale: Its stomach can hold one ton of krill and it needs to eat about four tons of krill each day. They are the loudest animals on Earth and are even louder than a jet engine. Their calls reach 188 ... Read More
	Bluefin Tuna: They migrate across oceans and can dive more than 4,000 feet. This threatened marine species are made for speed: built like torpedoes, have retractable fins and their eyes are set flush to their body. Read more....
Dugong: These languid animals make an easy target for coastal hunters, and they were long sought for their meat, oil, skin, bones, and teeth. Dugongs are now legally protected throughout their range, but their ... Read more....
	Hawksbill Turtle: Adult hawksbill sea turtles have been known to grow up to 1 m (3 ft) in length, weighing around 80 kg (180 lb) on average. The heaviest hawksbill ever captured was measured to be 127 kg (280 lb). Read more...
Humphead Wrasse: The humphead is found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to South Africa and to the Tuamoto Islands (Polynesia), north to the Ryukyu Islands (south-west Japan), and south to New Caledonia. Read more...
	Leatherback Turtle: It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin...Read more...
Manatees: Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus Trichechus) are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of ...Read more...
	Polar Bear: Unlike grizzly bears, polar bears are not territorial. Although stereotyped as being voraciously aggressive, they are normally cautious in confrontations, and often choose to escape rather than fight. Read More...
Sawfish: Sawfish are nocturnal, usually sleeping during the day and hunting at night. Despite fearsome appearances, they do not attack people unless provoked or surprised. The small-tooth sawfish...Read more...
	Sea Otters
Whale Shark

The threats to marine species are difficult to perceive because marine animals are not as visible as animals on land. But unfortunately, marine creatures are equally, if not more, vulnerable to problems such as habitat destruction and overexploitation. Shallow water animals that breathe air, like turtles, manatees, dugongs, and whales are often hit by boats and caught in fishing gear. Species such as turtles that lay their eggs on land often lose their nurseries due to coastal development. Animals that have taken millions of years to evolve, that are invaluable to all ecosystems, have and continue to vanish from places where they once flourished.

There are 15 marine species in great danger of becoming extinct, from tiny coral-reef fish to the gigantic southern blue fin tuna. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, 131 of 152 fish species recently studied face extinction because of exploitation by humans and pollution. The wealth of the oceans, once thought inexhaustible, is being depleted.

Marine life, including the legendary great white shark and tiny seahorse, has joined the elephant, rhinoceros and tiger as being among the most threatened species, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Over fishing of the great white shark to satisfy the demand for shark-fin soup threatens the creature’s survival. Seahorses are vulnerable because of a rapidly growing market in the Far East for their use in traditional medicines, as well as in the aquarium trade.

New fishing technology has helped quadruple the world’s catch of commercial seafood since 1950. This efficiency has had deadly consequences for noncommercial marine life as well.

Shrimp trawls, drift nets, and long lines are responsible for killing huge numbers of non-targeted species of fish, birds, turtles, dolphins, and other marine animals. As populations of fish primarily used for human food are depleted, the fisheries shift to new species.

A new threat is the over fishing of species, such as squid, that other animals depend on for food. The consequences of undermining the food chain could be dire.