First marine fish officially declared extinct due to human activity

In 1862, German naturalist Eduard von Martens embarked on an expedition to the Far East. During his journey, he stumbled upon a peculiar fish in a market in Jakarta, a city located on the island of Java, which was a Dutch colony at the time.

The fish was a small stingray, a common delicacy in Indonesia, which Martens decided to purchase. Unbeknownst to him, this fish was the last of its kind that would ever be seen by scientists. From that point forward, no other specimens were observed or captured.

Now, over 160 years later, this creature, known as the Javan stingray (Urolophus javanicus), has been officially declared extinct.

Javan stingray declared extinct

Scientists at Charles Darwin University (CDU) in Australia have declared the Javan stingray, a marine fish, extinct due to human activities. This is the first instance of a marine fish being declared extinct as a result of human action. The Javan stingray, a plate-sized species, was extremely rare, with only one specimen collected in 1862 known to exist.

Julia Constance, the lead evaluator and biologist, stated that intensive and largely unregulated fishing is likely the primary threat that led to the decline of the Javan stingray population. She noted that coastal fish catches in the Java Sea had already been decreasing since the 1870s.

Furthermore, the northern coast of Java, especially Jakarta Bay, where the species was known to inhabit, is heavily industrialized, leading to significant habitat loss and degradation. These impacts were severe enough to unfortunately result in the extinction of this species.

The team of international scientists gathered all available information on the species, including studies and monitoring data. Through modeling, they concluded that the Javan stingray is the first marine fish to become extinct due to human activity.

Benaya Simeon, a CDU scientist who studies threatened rays in Indonesia, stated that numerous fishing grounds along the northern coast of Java and throughout Indonesia have been thoroughly monitored, but the Javan stingray has not been found.

He added that the Javan stingray was a unique, dinner plate-sized species with no similar species on the island, and its absence from numerous studies confirms its extinction.

Will the vaquita be the next to become extinct?

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) issued the first expected extinction alert in 70 years, almost simultaneously with the knowledge of this bad news, this time for a marine mammal called the vaquita (Phocoena sinus).

Analysts estimate that only 10 vaquitas remain in the Gulf of California, Mexico, and if immediate action does not occur, the vaquita will soon follow the same path as the Javan stingray.

In 2020, scientists declared the smooth handfish (Sympterichthys unipennis) as another extinct fish. However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) subsequently reclassified this fish to the "data deficient" category, meaning that they still cannot confirm with certainty that it is extinct.

Peter Kyne, senior researcher at the Environment and Livelihoods Research Institute of the CDU, said that "declaring the Javan stingray extinct serves as a warning sign to everyone that we must protect the planet's threatened marine species."

"We must think about appropriate management strategies, such as protecting habitat and reducing overfishing, while ensuring the livelihoods of people who depend on fishery resources," he added.

IUCN Red List safeguards threatened species

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is the most comprehensive global resource for understanding the risk of extinction for various species of animals, fungi, and plants. Since its inception in 1964, the IUCN Red List has recognized over 41,200 species that are globally threatened with extinction.

The list provides valuable information about the distribution, population size, habitat, ecology, utilization, threats, and conservation actions of these species. This information is crucial for making informed decisions and policy changes to safeguard these species.

“Extinction is an irreversible process. If we don’t take steps to protect the populations of threatened marine species worldwide, the Java stingaree could be just the beginning,” said Constance.

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