Published By: Sreyanshi

The very known fishes that are going extinct

We all have gone fishing with our dads as a kid. We heard about different fishes, caught them, and even played with them. For some people, fishing was a part of their childhood and later played an important role in their manhood. Some fishes take a nostalgic part of our childhood memories. Those who lived in the countryside, towns, and villages are undoubtedly familiar with this nostalgia. But did you know that many species of our childhood fishes are facing extinction?

(I) Beluga Sturgeon:-

Sturgeon fishes are one of those "monstrous" fishes that tickle the curiosity and fear in every fishermen's mind while roaming around the boat. This freshwater fish is facing extinction because of the Beluga caviar business around the world. Caviar is highly demanded far and wide for its health benefits. Hunting a large number of Beluga sturgeons for caviar has threatened this species of fish.

(II) Hammerhead Shark:-

We all once wondered "wow this fish looks so different!" when we got to know about this one fish. Almost all of us learned about the Hammerhead shark as a kid or as a teen. But we didn't realize when this got on the endangered fish list. Here the reason for becoming endangered is similar to the previous one. Mass fishing for commercial purposes. Hammerhead sharks mostly get killed for the demand of their fin which is the main ingredient of shark fin soup. IUCN has categorized this shark as critically endangered. There are fewer than two hundred Hammerhead sharks left in today's ocean.

(III) Swordfish:-

This migratory saltwater fishes were always classified as 'different looking' by people for decades. They migrate for thousands of miles annually. But in the last thirty years, they have been facing extinction due to overfishing. Generally, swordfish are killed for their meat. These fishes come pretty large with good taste. Swordfish meat is generally sold as steak and sometimes grilled. Also, swords of these fishes are used as weapons.

(IV) Bluefin Tuna:-

We all can remember shopping for groceries and tuna cans with our mom. It's that tuna! Just kidding. Not just a specific type of Bluefin tuna, the Pacific Bluefin tuna, Atlantic Bluefin tuna, and Southern Bluefin tuna. Almost all of them are endangered. These fishes are mostly required for sushi and sashimi in the east Asian regions. Only Japan consumes 80 percent of the Bluefin tuna.

Numerous known fishes are at risk. There's still time left to take action. And it is our responsibility to bring back earth on a track.