Just like terrestrial animals, the creatures of the sea face myriad threats to their survival, both anthropogenic and natural, and many are in trouble. Our oceans appear vast and teeming with life, and until recently, were routinely viewed as containing infinite resources. In actuality, many marine species are decreasing at an alarming rate and are considered endangered. All manner of marine species are affected, including cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), seabirds, sea turtles, sharks and other fish, and marine invertebrates, including entire coral reef ecosystems. The consequences of loss of species in the marine environment are significant, both ecologically and economically.
Given the nature of the marine environment, with its great expanses and depths and tremendous biodiversity (including some species that live in total darkness, relying on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis as the basis of life), threats to marine species are varied and often difficult to see, measure, and address. Principal anthropogenic threats to the survival of marine species include pollution and habitat degradation, climate change, ocean acidification, fisheries interactions (e.g. bycatch), hunting and capture by humans, marine noise, and vessel strikes.
AWI focuses its endangered marine species advocacy on various species of small cetaceans, and also addresses threats to large whales, sea turtles, some fish, and deep-sea habitats. For a complete list of endangered species, click here.
Vaquitas and Totoabas
Identified 60 years ago, the critically endangered vaquita is endemic to Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California. Reaching a maximum length of about four feet, the porpoise is gray, with dark stripes running from its flippers to the middle of its lower lip. As recently as 30 years ago, there were approximately 600 vaquitas swimming in the Gulf. This number has plummeted in recent years. By 2018, as few as 20 vaquitas remained, and recent surveys appear to show that numbers have fallen even further since then. Read more.
Taiwanese White Dolphin
The Taiwanese white dolphin, also known as the Taiwanese Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis taiwanensis)—first described after a 2002 exploratory survey—is found exclusively in the shallow waters of the western coast of Taiwan. These dolphins are 8–9 feet long with a relatively small dorsal fin. Read more.