Top ten rare fish in the world

There are many rare fishes in the world, which ones are the rarest? The following are the ten rarest fishes in the world: devil medaka (desert fish), wild mullet, wild Chinese sturgeon, European eel, Maltese ray, bluefin tuna, Mekong giant catfish, rare spiny scorpionfish, flatfin ray, and great white shark , these rare fishes used to be in huge numbers, but due to uncontrolled fishing and environmental damage by humans, they are now facing the crisis of extinction. We should strengthen the protection of their living environment and raise people's awareness of conservation to prevent their permanent disappearance.

1. Devil medaka (about 30)

The devil medaka is one of the smallest fish species in the world and has existed on the earth for 60,000 years. It is mainly distributed in Death Valley, Nevada, USA, and inhabits a small pond with an area of only tens of square meters. However, since the 1960s, local agricultural irrigation has caused the groundwater level to drop, causing the habitat area of ​​the devil medaka to continue to shrink, which has caused a sharp decline in the number of devil medaka. According to statistics, from about 400 devil medaka in the 1970s, only about 30 remain in 2019. For this reason, the devil fish was included in the first list of species under the U.S. Endangered Species Protection Act in 1966.

2. Wild mullet (about 100 or less)

Wild mullet is one of the rare freshwater fishes unique to China and one of the top ten rare fishes in the world. In the early days, they were widely distributed and could be seen in most areas of the Yangtze River Basin. However, due to a series of factors such as overfishing, environmental pollution, and destruction of spawning grounds, the number of wild mullet fish has declined sharply, making it difficult to obtain effective treatment. contain. In addition, due to the long embryonic development cycle of mullet fish, the mortality rate during hatching is also high, which also makes it difficult for its population to recover. In the past 20 years, the number of surviving wild mullet fish has been almost the same as that of the Chinese sturgeon, so it is also at risk of extinction.

3. Wild Chinese sturgeon (about 100)

The Chinese sturgeon is the largest migratory fish in the Yangtze River and one of the rare fish in the world. It is a representative flagship species. However, since the construction and operation of water conservancy projects such as the Gezhou Dam, the Three Gorges Dam, and the Xiluodu Dam in 1981, the Chinese sturgeon's survival channels and suitable water temperature environment have been blocked and destroyed, resulting in a great threat to its reproduction. Before the Gezhouba Dam was built in 1981, there were still more than 1,700 Chinese sturgeons in existence, but by 2015, there were only about 156 left. It is estimated that by 2030, there will be less than 20 Chinese sturgeons left, and the number of males will be 0.

4. European eels (about 250 or less)

The European eel is a rare fish native to the Atlantic Ocean. However, since the early 1980s, the European eel population has declined by about 90%. By 2019, it was listed as a critically endangered species, with only about 250 individuals left in stock. Possible reasons for the decline of its population include overfishing, parasitic infections (such as Paschus elegans), hydroelectric power plant construction, and environmental changes caused by natural factors such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Gulf Stream, and the North Atlantic Drift.

5. Maltese Ray (50-250 or less than 50)

The Maltese Ray is one of the rarest fish species in the world and can only be found in the Straits of Sicily. However, due to the shrinking sea area in which they live, their slow growth, late sexual maturity, and very few offspring, their survival situation is very worrying. Although the Maltese ray is not a target of commercial fishing, it is easy to be caught and then thrown back into the sea to fend for itself. The local government has also been slow to protect it, which makes the survival situation of the Maltese ray even more difficult. Currently, the Maltese Ray is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with the number of existing individuals ranging from 50 to 250, or less.

6. Bluefin Tuna (50-250 or less than 50)

Bluefin tuna is one of the largest tuna species in the world and is one of the main fish species used in Japanese seafood sashimi cuisine. However, due to its slow growth and overfishing, the population of one of the world's least abundant fishes has been greatly reduced. EU fishery experts have warned that if fishing is not restricted, bluefin tuna may face extinction; the World Conservation Union has also listed it as critically endangered CR, the highest level of endangered species in the wild, and estimates that its number of surviving individuals is only 50. -250 or even lower.

7. Wild Mekong Giant Catfish (50-250 or less than 50)

The Mekong giant catfish is one of the smallest fish species in the world and is endemic to the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. However, due to overfishing, water pollution, and the construction of upstream dams, the wild population has plummeted. In order to save the Mekong giant catfish, an endangered species, the fishery departments of various countries have banned the fishing of wild Mekong giant catfish, and at the same time built a number of artificial breeding bases for giant catfish, so that the number of artificially cultivated giant catfish has now reached about 60,000. Despite this, the remaining number of wild Mekong giant catfish is still very limited and has been listed as critically endangered (CR) by the World Conservation Union, with the number of existing individuals ranging from 50 to 250, or lower.

8. Rare Acanthopterus (50-250 or less than 50)

The rare acanthus is a rare fish that belongs to subtropical seawater and is distributed in the waters from Alaska in the Eastern Pacific to Baja California, Mexico. Their body color is olive, mixed with brown and orange, with weak head spines, long mandibles, and thick lips. The body length of the rare acanthus can reach 91 cm. It mainly inhabits waters at the bottom of rocky bottoms and feeds on crustaceans and fish. Scorpionfish can be used not only as food fish, but also as ornamental fish, but it should be noted that they are poisonous. Unfortunately, this species is a critically endangered (CR) species and is listed as one of the critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Currently, the number of existing individuals is between 50 and 250, or even lower, and effective measures need to be taken to protect it.

9. Flatfin Loach (250-2500 or less than 250)

The flat-finned loach is a rare fish endemic to my country, also commonly known as the eight-bearded fish. Its distribution is limited to the main stream and tributaries of the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. In the 1950s, it was not uncommon to catch flat-finned loaches in the shallow waters of the Yellow River in Lanzhou. However, in the 1960s, due to various reasons such as water pollution, soil erosion, and rising sediment content, the river landscape had undergone major changes. , it is now difficult to see the flat-finned loach in the wild. Currently, the flat-finned loach is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its inventory is unknown, but the estimated number of individuals in the population is between 250-2,500, or even lower.

10. Great white shark (about 3,000 or less)

The great white shark is a well-known shark with many movies and games about it, but its situation in the real world is bleak. In fact, today the great white shark is one of the least abundant fish species in the world. In the 1990s, due to unrestrained slaughter and fishing, 98% of great white sharks were killed to obtain their fins and meat to supply the shark fin market. Because great white sharks reproduce slowly, their numbers have never recovered. As of 2019, there are less than 3,000 great white sharks in the world, which is fewer than the number of wild tigers.

The world's ten rarest fishes are mainly based on rare and endangered fish, with reference to data from authoritative magazines such as "Global Science". The list is for reference only. If you have any questions, please leave a comment at the end.

animal tags： fish