The totoaba , a marine fish that used to breed in the Colorado River in northwest Mexico is endangered due to the river drying up. Agricultural and industrial pollution of waterways further reduces habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Many fish species also face a high degree of exploitation for commercial uses. Seahorses, for example, which are captured for uses in aquariums, as curios, and in traditional Chinese medicine. Seahorses can not support intensive harvesting because of their low reproductive rates, complex social behavior, accessible habitat, and low mobility.
Sharks are a second group of marine life that is headed for trouble.
Sharks are the oceans top predator and are sparsely distributed, and grow and reproduce quite slowly. Sturgeon have long been harvested for their eggs, which is famous as the world's premier caviar. Sturgeon are found in Europe, northern Asia, and North America. If the trends that are seen with the vertebrates are the same as other organisms, then extinction would appear to be a near-term possibility for about a quarter of the world's entire list of species. This alone is reason for the world's governments to act.