20 Endangered Sea Animals That Desperately Need Our Help

With its cartilaginous body and elongated snout, the strange-looking smalltooth sawfish appears to be a crocodile-shark hybrid, but it’s actually a type of ray. Found off the coast of Florida, these migratory fish prefer warm tropical waters. At one point in time, smalltooth sawfish could be found all throughout the Gulf of Mexico, from Texas to Florida, and up the East Coast to North Carolina, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Status: Critically endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: Populations of smalltooth sawfish plummeted in the second half of the 20th century due to two primary factors: habitat loss and bycatch. As waterfront construction continued to flourish along Florida’s coast, the shallow estuaries where juvenile smalltooth sawfish like to nurse began disappearing. At the same time, fishermen were accidentally catching the fish in their nets, killing them rather than releasing them.

How To Help: If you’re a recreational angler, familiarize yourself with the guidelines NOAA Fisheries developed to safely handle and release smalltooth sawfish.

You may think of the white abalone as nothing more than the stuffing inside a pretty seashell, but this tasty mollusk is actually a type of plant-eating marine snail, according to NOAA—one that native people have been eating for thousands of years. Using its muscular orange foot, the white abalone attaches itself to rocks, feeding on algae and drifting kelp. In 2001, these bottom-dwellers became the first marine invertebrate listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Status: Endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: Commercial and recreational overfishing along the California coast in the 1970s is a primary culprit of the white abalone’s decline, and due to the creatures’s peculiar mating habits—they don't become sexually mature until they’re four to six years old—this had a lasting impact on its population. Meanwhile, the mollusks are also plagued with a disease called withering syndrome, which can attack the abalone’s digestive organs.

How To Help: Educate yourself: if you find or catch white abalones, you must safely release them. You can also make a donation to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, which engages in research to increase white abalone populations.

Encountering a green sea turtle in the wild is a truly breathtaking experience, and one that we may collectively experience less and less without continuing interventions to protect these large herbivores. Green sea turtles are named for the green color of their shells, which derives from the algae and sea grasses that they munch on. Found throughout the world—nesting in over 80 countries, and found living in the coastal areas of over 140 countries—these turtles have 11 distinct populations segments that are considered endangered.

Status: Endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: Because the green turtle is found in so many locales, it’s also subject to a number of threats: unintended capture in fishing gear, egg harvesting, nesting habitat degradation, vessel strikes, ocean pollution, warming climate, and disease.

How To Help: Even though this endangered sea animal faces so many threats, there are a ton of ways you can help. Reduce ocean debris by participating in clean-up projects, keep your distance from nesting sites, avoid driving on beaches, turn the lights off when staying near the beach to avoid distracting hatchlings, and report any turtles that you see in distress.

Sadly, this porpoise is the most endangered sea animal on this list, and of all the endangered marine animals period; in total, there are an estimated 20 vaquitas still living in the wild. These mammals grow to about four or five feet in length, and weigh between 65 and 120 pounds. The tiny remaining population is only found in the northern portion of the Gulf of California, per NOAA.

Status: Critically endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: The only known threat to the vaquita is entanglement in fishing gear. Gillnets—vertical panels of netting hung between buoys to create a wall—are the main culprit.

How To Help: Call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964 to report a marine violation, especially if you notice vaquita as bycatch.

With the largest confirmed specimen coming in at 61.7 feet long, the whale shark is an absolute unit, and by far the world’s largest fish. Despite their size, these creatures are filter feeders, meaning they use their huge mouths to eat plankton and other small fish.

Status: Endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: The main threats to whale sharks are intentional fishing, bycatch in nets, and vessel strikes, but there are other local threats at play like oil and gas drilling.

How To Help: Consider adopting a whale shark through the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Like so many other peculiar creatures, the marine iguana is an endemic species of the Galápagos Islands. Unlike other iguanas, these lizards can dive in the water, where they forage algae.

Status: Vulnerable

Why They’re in Trouble: El Niño ocean cycles, oil spills, non-native predators

How To Help: Adopt a marine iguana from the World Wildlife Fund.

Cape penguins are also called “jackass penguins” and “black-footed penguins” due to their call, which sounds like a donkey neighing, and the color of their feet (obviously). This penguin breeds only in Africa.

Status: Endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: Loss of nesting sites, oil spills, and food loss due to overfishing are all major threats to the sea birds.

How To Help: According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can support penguin conservation groups such as the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SAANCOB) and by using the Seafood Watch website to make sustainable seafood choices at restaurants and grocery stores.

Don’t forget, coral is a sea animal, too, and an important part of the ocean’s ecosystem. Coral gives other sea creatures protection, plus a place to breed and spawn.

Status: Over 25 corals are listed as endangered or threatened

Why They’re in Trouble: This fundamental part of the ocean is incredibly sensitive; ocean acidification and bottom-trawling commercial fishing are its major threats.

How To Help: In order to conserve coral reefs, opt for sustainable seafood, save on water, don’t touch coral reefs when diving, and be mindful of the ingredients in your sunscreen as some of them may be deadly for reefs. Recycling also helps!

With just 7,400 individuals believed to be alive in the coastal waters off New Zealand, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers Hector’s dolphin a “red list” endangered species.

Status: Endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: Bycatch, pollutants, and boat disturbance

How To Help: Visit WWF to educate yourself on endangered species and donate to conservation efforts.

One of the six most endangered mammals in the world, according to WWF, the Mediterranean Monk Seal once ranged from Portugal to Senegal. Today, just 500 remain in isolated clusters.

Status: Critically endangered

Why They’re in Trouble: Hunting, habitat destruction, pollution, depletion of fish stocks, and competition with fishermen all factored into the decline of the Mediterranean Monk Seal. Other seals, however, may be threatened by global warming, as Arctic and Antarctic habitats change rapidly.

How To Help: Visit WWF and learn more about seals and other endangered sea creatures.

Salmon, the most popular seafood and sport fish in the world, are in danger. Wild salmon sales support many communities around the world, but these fish need clean rivers and oceans to survive.

Status: Two species are endangered, seven are threatened

Why They’re in Trouble: Chinook salmon (also known as king salmon) from Alaska to California are in decline, and pollution, global warming, and bycatch are to blame.

How To Help: Learn more about habitat conservation and regulatory actions.