As with every ecosystem, the balance in a marine habitat is very delicate. Pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, and unsustainable fishing practices are all factors leading to the endangerment of thousands of marine species, from small corals to the largest mammals.

Some endangered animals have received wide public support for their conservation, such as the seven species of sea turtle. Others are in populations so small and specialized, many don’t know that they even exist.

The eight marine species in this article are classified under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as being either Endangered or Critically Endangered.* The difference between Endangered and Critically Endangered is subtle, but those species that fall under the latter category face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, with less chance of recovery than those that are Endangered due to a significant difference in the number of mature individual animals that may aid in reproduction and recovery.

1. The Hawaiian Monk Seal

Status: Critically Endangered

A Hawaiian Monk Seal. (Credit: James Watt, Oceanstock)

Hawaiian Monk Seals are, as the name suggests, native to the Hawaiian islands. One of the most primitive seal species in the world, they have been threatened by the human development along its small habitat.

They are not migratory, making them more vulnerable to changes in their environment. They live, feed, and give birth in a relatively small area. Their habitat falls in an oceanic gyre, where trash is carried along the currents to accumulate in large quantities in small areas.

Entanglement in trash and debris is a threat to this species, as well as competition for resources from commercial fishermen in the region. It is estimated there are fewer than 1100 individuals left in the wild, and despite strong conservation efforts, it is likely the species will become extinct in the wild within 100 years.

2. The Caribbean Electric Ray (aka Lesser Electric Ray)

Status: Critically Endangered

The Caribbean Electric Ray. (Credit: Dr. Daniel Huber, Uni. of Tampa Shark Lab)

This nocturnal shallow water ray bears the scientific name Narcine bancroftii, coming from the Greek word “narke”, meaning paralysis. If harassed, this ray can produce a shock of up to 37 volts, though it is more prone to fleeing than defending itself.

Its most significant threat is commercial fishing. It is not a prized commercial species, but it is frequently caught as bycatch in shallow water commercial fishing, and is thrown back with a low survival rate due to the stress. They have a low age of maturity, which helps replenish the species, but in areas of intense fishing, such as the Gulf of Mexico, its population has been devastated.

Extraordinarily, pregnant females of this species are documented to have aborted embryos when subjected to the stress of being hauled in shrimp or fish nets, greatly reducing its reproductive capacity.

3. The Giant Sea Bass

Status: Critically Endangered

A Giant Sea Bass near a diver. (Credit: Scott Gietler)

The Giant Sea Bass, aptly named due to its capacity to grow to over 8 feet, is native to the waters off California and Mexico, and its decline over the last century is largely in part due to over-exploitation. Protection in Californian waters have aimed to help replenish the species over the last decade, but effective protections in Mexico were not put in place.

This fish takes a long time to mature, taking between 7 and 10 years to reach reproductive age. Current population trend data is not available, but it is very rare and it remains unseen if conservation efforts are having much effect, as population doubling time spans at least 15 years. Its limited range of distribution has made it susceptible to the damages of overfishing and pollution.

4. The Waved Albatross

Status: Critically Endangered

A Waved Albatross displays its wingspan. (Credit: Virginia Keenan, galapagos.org)

Despite having a wingspan of over 7 feet, the Waved Albatross is only of moderate size compared to its cousin species. Due to its breeding grounds being confined to a single island in the Galapagos Islands, they are particularly vulnerable to any change in their environment.

Due to ongoing struggles with long-line fishing practices in the region, this Albatross species is prone to being caught as bycatch when diving for food. Interestingly, a disproportionate number of males are caught as bycatch and as intentional catch for consumption, which leads to a decrease in reproduction.

Nest predation by other animal species also have a negative impact on their small breeding territory.

5. Sei Whale

Status: Endangered

Sei whales at the surface. (Credit: orcaweb.org.uk)

Like most whales, the sei whale’s population is spread over much of the world’s oceans. Sei whales, like many others its size, are baleen whales that feed primarily on krill and other small organisms.

The largest threat to the sei whale is the illegal whaling industry, which has devastated many whale species to a near irreparable extent. Due to illegal catches by whaling nations, the population is estimated to have been reduced by the hundreds of thousands in recent years, most notably in the South Pacific and the North Atlantic.

Despite being a protected species, whaling remains a large threat to this whale species. Current population estimates are severely lacking, but the general decreasing trend has placed it in the Endangered category.

And hundreds more…

These species are only a handful of the world’s marine creatures that are facing the threat of extinction, and it is evident that human interference plays a major role in their fate. The only way to protect the fragile balance that maintains the health of the world’s oceans is to evaluate our own impact, be it pollution and waste, unsustainable fishing and market demand, or our constant development which leads to the destruction of marine and coastal habitats.

Many species that have gone extinct have vanished due to unchecked human greed, and it is time that we remember we are not the only creatures that inhabit this world, and that the responsibility lies with us to protect those that can not speak for themselves.

*Much of the data gathered is dependent on the findings of the IUCN and independent research in order to provide the most accurate information available. Some data is subject to the date of last available information.

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