Due to their underwater habitat, it is often quite impossible to track down the population trends of a fish species. So, only a few fishes have been confirmed as ‘Extinct’ by the IUCN, with the rest being considered possibly extinct. The possibly extinct species are officially recorded as ‘Critically Endangered’ but with little hope of any surviving specimen, based on how many years have passed since their last sighting.
For example, the shortnose cisco has not been seen since 1985, while the last sighting of the Diyarbakir loach was back in 1970. The Java stingaree has not been seen since it was discovered over 150 years ago.
Like any other habitat, the primary threat to aquatic animals is mainly overfishing and other human activities that lead to habitat destruction and pollution. Global warming and climate change are vital factors as well.
Even today, many fishes, including haddock, halibut, sea bass, Atlantic cod, and salmon, are being pushed to the brink of extinction due to overfishing. The truth remains that threatened fishes do not get the same attention as mammals and reptiles for their conservation.
Sometimes, a certain species might still exist in a sea or ocean depths, appearing years after being considered extinct. For example, the Pondicherry shark was spotted alive in Sri Lanka, in the Menik and Kumbukkam rivers, in 2016, over 100 years after its previous positive sighting in 1900.
Apart from one major food source for humans being wiped out, all terrestrial and aquatic animals that feed solely on fish will also perish. Additionally, small and large fishing towns (where fishing is the foundation of the economy) will also cease to exist.
Fishes and marine creatures, in general, play a vital role in preventing water pollution, so if there are no fish in the waters, the seas and oceans will never be the same, and the world itself will never be the same.
