Java Stingaree First Marine Fish Declared Extinct by IUCN

Rahul Somvanshi

The extinction of the Java Stingaree has become the first officially declared marine fish extinction due to human activities.

Photo Source: Richard Ling (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

In Jakarta's fish markets of 1862, German zoologist Eduard von Martens purchased what would become the sole recorded specimen of Urolophus javanicus.

Photo Source: Wie146 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Representative Image.

Extensive surveys since 2001 across numerous fish landing sites along Indonesia's northern coast have failed to yield a single specimen.

Photo Source: Francis ROBERT (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Intensive and largely unregulated fishing in the Java Sea, and Jakarta Bay's heavy industrialization are the two primary factors that drove this extinction.

Photo Source: Tom Fisk (Pexels)

Representative Image.

The extinction signals what Dr. Peter Kyne of CDU calls "a tipping point for marine biodiversity."

Photo Source: PxHere

A 2021 study in Nature documented a 71% decline in global shark and ray populations since 1970.

Photo Source: Jin Kemoole (CC BY 2.0)

The Red List of Threatened Species now includes over 169,420 species assessed, with more than 47,000 threatened with extinction globally.

Photo Source: Photo Flickker (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Indonesia's role in monitoring other threatened species like the Kai Stingaree (last seen in 1874) remains crucial.

Photo Source: Lennyk410 (CC BY 2.0)

Representative Image.

The question becomes whether this extinction will serve as a catalyst for more effective ocean protection or simply the first in a cascade of marine species disappearances.

Photo Source: PxHere

Next Story

IUCN: Over 390 Shark and Ray Species Threatened by Overfishing