The top 10 most endangered marine animals

The world is gifted with a unique variety of sea creatures. But what if these animals are gone?

 

Marine species are one of the largest group of species that make up the world’s biodiversity. Recently, there are over hundreds of new marine species discovered in the country making the Philippines as the “center of the center of marine biodiversity.”

 

Despite that good news, the world has been continuously changing and the first to be affected is the habitat of animals. Scientists may have discovered new ones but others have already become endangered, meaning there is only a small number left, or in the worst case, extinct, where there is no any living member.

 

In the spirit of Ocean Month, GMA News TV’s award-winning infotainment program “Ang Pinaka” lists down the top 10 most endangered marine animals, with guest panelistas: Gregg Yan, Communications and Media Manager of World Wide Fund (WWF); Dr. Nielsen Donato, Veterinarian/TV Host of ‘Born To Be Wild’; and US Ambassador to the Philippines, Philip S. Goldberg.

 

Our all-time favorite salmon

 

The Sockeye salmon is the third most common salmon species in the Pacific Ocean. It is an anadromous species which means it migrates from the sea to freshwater in order to spawn. They lay eggs in the river and return back to the sea. This breeding process makes it difficult to culture salmon as they both need the river and the sea.

 

Today, these salmons are threatened species because they are sought after for their raw meat, served as sashimi. But little do we know, their life cycle becomes shortened once they are caught because they won’t be able to get a chance to lay millions of eggs for continuous reproduction of their breed.

 

The rarest shark of them all

 

“For every shark that kills a human, we kill 20 million in return every year,” said Yan. 

 

We always have that mental image of shark killing humans, a misconception perpetuated by popular culture, particularly by the shark attack movie “Jaws.” Yan added that we kill even more sharks than they do us. What for? Poachers hunt them and create curio items made from shark jaws. They also hunt for shark fins and shark meat to trade in the market. 

 

The Borneo shark has been listed by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered. These river sharks are the rarest of all sharks because they only inhabit misty rivers. They are so rare that people can only catch them once every 10 years. 

 

Largest clams in the world

 

The giant clam is the largest living bivalve mollusk which is locally known as taclobo. It can be found on the shores of the Philippines. These clams can grow for as long as 4 feet and can weigh for as heavy as 200 kilograms. 

 

Unfortunately, the growing number of giant clams has stopped, making it an addition to the list of endangered marine animals. Since the barter trade, the giant clams are being poached and harvested as food or curio items.

 

Currently, the giant clams are still being sold and served as appetizers and turned into decorations.

 

The sea elephant

 

According to Goldberg, “The manatee is a big sea creature like a sea elephant or sea cow. It’s an important symbol of the state of Florida.” 

 

The Florida manatees are like elephants because of their slow movements due to their body size. They are also related to the dugong because of their appearance but the main difference can be found in their tails. A dugong has a cresent-shaped tail while a manatee has a circular one.

 

What threatens these precious creatures? The manatees live in warm areas like the waters of Florida. But due to climate change, water temperature fluctuates in these waters and this affect the manatees because they can only live in warm temperatures.

 

Another threat is the presence of boats. Boat propellers can injure the manatees as these creatures move so slow and might not be able to avoid incoming boats.

 

The biggest fish

 

According to Yan, the whale sharks are discovered in 1828 off the coast of South Africa. They are named as such because they possess the size of a whale. The whale shark or more locally known as butanding is considered as the biggest fish and shark in the world.

 

The sad truth is although it is already considered as endangered, poachers are still hunting them for their fins and meat to be sold in the black market.

 

The ever green turtles

 

Yan said that green sea turtles are named as such because of the green layer of fats underneath their shells. Also, they only eat sea grass and sea weeds.

 

The threat among green sea turtles is the global trade in sea turtle meat and turtle products. For instance, some are being caught and killed at a very young age and will be dried and varnished to serve as curio items. 

 

These turtles are also a favorite dish worldwide. According to Goldberg, “I know that there’s a lot going on among those turtles. The shells are very price and there has been a lot of poaching. It’s a very serious issue in Palawan and down towards Tubbataha Reef. This needs to be protected.”

 

The one and only mameng

 

Napoleon wrasse or humphead wrasse, locally known as mameng, is an enormous, colorful tropical marine fish found in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific Ocean. It is considered one of the big boys of coral reefs because of its size.

 

“The most I’ve seen is 1.2 meters. Halos kasing laki talaga siya ng flat screen TV,” said Yan. While according to Doc Nielsen, “Napaka-gentle lang ng isda na ito at lumalaki talaga sila minsan, kasing laki ng tao ang size nila.”

 

Sadly, this breed of fish is endangered as it is considered a luxury fish in Asia. The mameng was once eaten only by royalty. Currently, the major consumers of this fish are China, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is also being imported illegally from the Philippines. The mameng is favored by many because it is considered to bring luck with its green and red colors.

The majestic ray

 

The reef manta ray is the largest of all rays in the world. It can grow for as huge as 10 feet wide. One of its unique characteristics, according to Yan is that, “Makikita mo kung gaano ka-majestic ang palikpik ng manta ray. Parang hindi siya nagsi-swiming, para siyang lumilipad.” 

 

Unlike sting rays, manta rays do not attack and so are not dangerous to humans. 

 

Under R.A. 8550, the Philippine Fisheries Code,  the manta ray has already been declared endangered but people are still catching them for food. There are only less than 70% of manta rays left in world. 

 

The great fin whale

 

The fin whale is the second largest mammal in the world. It is long, sleek, and has a v-shaped head. 

 

Gregg Yan said, “Ito ay mahaba, maskulado at malakas mag-swimming. Kung makikita n’yo, parang mabagal lang lumangoy ang whale. Subukan n’yong sabayan, kahit nasa speed boat, isang padyak lang ng kanilang loop maiiwanan na kayo.” 

 

The threat that decreases the number of fin whales is explained by Doc Nielsen, “Usually, ang fin whale ay nandoon sa malalamig na karagatan at dahil sa laki nila nagkakaroon ng mga aksidente. Bumubunggo sila sa mga barko dahil sa laki nila.” 

 

Another reason that endangers this species is that despite the bans and restrictions, commercial whaling is still the biggest threat to their existence.

 

The Ferrari of the sea

 

The bluefin tuna is the largest of the tuna species. Did you know that it’s also called red tuna because of the color of its flesh? It’s red because it’s rich in oxygen. 

 

Yan added, “Very special kung makikita n’yo ang tuna meat because it’s very red. Kung sa tao ay hemoglobin, sa mga tuna, they have what you call myoglobin which makes their blood far more oxygenated than normal blood. That’s why pulang-pula.” 

 

While according to Doc Nielsen, “Malalaking tuna ito. First-class type of tuna that the Japanese like for sashimi.” 

 

Bluefin tuna is also considered as a luxury fish and is listed in the Guinness book of records as the world’s most expensive tuna. This year in Tokyo, Japan, the most expensive bluefin tuna was bought for $37,500. 

 

The bluefin tuna topped the list of “Ang Pinaka Endangered Marine Animals.”  Despite its high value, it is also in incredibly endangered status. It is still commercially sold in many parts of the world. The fact that this fish is expensive to sell, it might be hard to easily stop the harvesting.---Laurence San Pedro/BMS