Rare and Endangered Fish Species in the Adriatic Sea

Fishes account for more than half of all living vertebrates on Earth and their diversity is very high, in terms of their morphology, biology and habitats they inhabit. There are almost 28,000 of valid living species of fishes (including the superclass Agnatha), but despite their high number and diversity, fishes are among the most endangered groups of marine organisms. Pressures on fishes are numerous: habitat degradation, marine pollution, alien species, climate changes, fisheries, etc. and in most cases those pressures act simultaneously and in combination with each other. By combining and cross-referring different sources of relevant literature and legal documents, a list of rare and endangered fish species of the Adriatic is prepared. According to IUCN Red list 17 species are listed as Critically Endangered, while three species are considered Regionally Extinct: cartilaginous species smoothback angelshark Squatina oculata, and two bony species, sturgeon Acipenser sturio and meagre Argyrosomus regius. Numerous anthropogenic negative impacts raise a need for protection measures for marine ecosystems and marine fish species. Various protection measures have been established across the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, most of them related to fisheries, aiming to protect marine fishes and their stocks.