WildEarth Guardians

Monday, February 24, 2014
Rare Marine Species Need Protections to Avoid Extinction

Feds will consider ten species of fishes, skates and rays for Endangered Species Act listing
Contact: Taylor Jones (505) 490-5141

Washington, DC – In the latest response to a petition submitted by WildEarth Guardians to list 81 imperiled marine species and subpopulations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (Service) announced today it will consider protections for ten species of bony fishes, skates and rays. The agency will review the status of the ten species over the next twelve months to determine whether to list them under the ESA.

“Skates, rays and coral reef fishes are just a few of the species rapidly disappearing from the word’s oceans,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “We need to ensure imperiled marine species receive every possible protection. We call on the Service to quickly finalize protections for these species to give them a fighting chance to survive.”

An estimated 50-80 percent of all life on earth is found in the oceans. More than half of marine species may be at risk of extinction by 2100 without significant conservation efforts. Despite this grave situation, the U.S. has largely failed to protect marine species under the ESA. Of the over 2,000 species protected by the Act, fewer than five percent are marine species. Recognizing the decline of ocean health, on July 22, 2010 President Obama issued an Executive Order requiring agencies, including the National Marine Fisheries Service, to “protect, maintain, and restore the health and biological diversity of ocean... ecosystems,” and to “use the best available science and knowledge to inform decisions affecting the ocean.”

Guardians’ multi-species marine petition seeks to compel the Service to live up to this mandate. Listing under the ESA has proven to be an effective safety net for imperiled species: more than 99 percent of plants and animals listed under the Act persist today. The Act is especially important as a bulwark against the current extinction crisis: plants and animals are disappearing at a rate much higher than the natural rate of extinction due to human activities. Scientists estimate that 227 species would have gone extinct if not for ESA listing. Listing species facing global threats can both protect the species domestically, and help focus U.S. resources toward enforcement of international regulations and recovery of the species.

Skates and Rays 

Greytail skate (Bathyraja griseocauda). The greytail skate occurs in the Southwest Atlantic, off Argentina and the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. Greytail skates are threatened by fishing, which removes mature individuals faster than this slow-growing species can replace naturally.

Undulate ray (Raja undulata). This species has a patchy distribution in the eastern Atlantic, including areas of the western Mediterranean, the southwest Ireland coastline, eastern English Channel, southern Portuguese coastline, and the Canary Islands. It occurs on sandy and muddy substrates and is most often found in shallow waters. It is threatened by fishing.

Blackchin guitarfish (Rhinobatos cemiculus). Blackchin guitarfish are found in marine and brackish waters from the northern coast of Portugal to Angola, and throughout coastal Mediterranean waters. Substantial fishing pressure has already led to population declines and extirpation from some areas. Existing regulations do not protect the species.

Brazilian guitarfish (Rhinobatos horkelii). Brazilian guitarfish are distributed along the Brazilian coast south to Mar del Plata, Argentina. Fishing is a serious threat to these slow-growing animals.

Common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos). This species is found in the Atlantic from the southern Bay of Biscay southward to Angola, and in the southern and eastern waters of the Mediterranean. It is threatened by fishing and habitat degradation in its nursery grounds.

Bony Fishes

Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae). Called a “living fossil,” this species was believed extinct until the first live coelacanth was found in 1938. Based on fossil evidence, this species was once globally distributed. The population now numbers approximately 500 individuals. It is now only found off the coast of southeastern Africa in deep-sea caves and overhangs. Coelacanths survive only a few hours in captivity or in shallow waters, but in the wild their lifespan is estimated to be between 80 and 100 years. Habitat degradation, capture for the curio/trophy trade, and inadequate regulatory mechanisms threaten this small population.

Comb grouper (Mycteroperca fusca). This species is found in the eastern Atlantic around the Azores and Madeira, Portugal, and Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, Spain. Researchers have already recorded local extinctions in intensively fished areas of the Canary Archipelago. The major threat to the comb grouper is fishing targeting spawning aggregations, where large groups of fish gather and can be easily captured en masse.

Gulf grouper (Mycteroperca jordani). This species is found on rocky reefs and kelp beds in the eastern Central Pacific from southern La Jolla, California, to Mazatlá́n, Mexico, and into the Gulf of California. Fishers in the Gulf of California have recorded a 50-70 percent decline in catch rates since 1950. Like the comb grouper, one of the main threats to this species is fishing that targets spawning aggregations.

Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni). These fish are found only in the Banggai Archipelago in eastern Indonesia. Cardinalfish inhabit shallow sheltered bays and harbors, mainly on reef flats with sandy bottoms and sea grass beds. Banggai cardinalfish are threatened by capture for use in the aquarium trade, loss and degradation of coral reef habitat, and climate change.

Greenback parrotfish (Scarus trispinosus). This species is found only in Brazil, from the Manoel Luiz Reefs on the northern coast to Santa Catarina on the southeastern coast. These parrotfish often feed on live coral and are found in sea grass beds, coral reefs, on algal and rocky reefs and on algal beds. Greenback parrotfish are threatened by destruction of their coral reef habitat, fishing, and climate change.