From coral reefs to beluga whales, the members of our watery world are facing a litany of threats. Explore each of these species.

Featured Species

• Dugong
• Coral Reef
• Antarctic Krill
• Atlantic Lobster
• Northern Bluefin Tuna
• Pacific Salmon
• Green Turtle
• Beluga Whale
• Hawaiian Monk Seal
• Walrus
• Southern Resident Orca
• Steller Sea Lion
• Narwhal
• Gray Whale
• Humpback Whale

Dugong
Species Profile

Cousins to the Florida manatee, dugongs are relaxed, sensitive marine mammals that may have been the inspiration for maritime tales of mermaids and sirens.

• Case: Okinawa Dugong & Proposed Airbase
• Feature: The Dugongs vs. The Department of Defense

Dugong
Threats

Hunted for their meat, oil, skin and bones, dugong populations are tenuous, especially in their northernmost range among the coral reefs of Okinawa, Japan, where in 2008 the U.S. military tried to force the Japanese government to build a new airbase on a reef used by endangered dugongs for feeding and resting.

• Case: Okinawa Dugong & Proposed Airbase
• Feature: The Dugongs vs. The Department of Defense

Coral Reef
Species Profile

The "rainforests of the ocean," coral reefs are biodiversity hotspots that make up less than 1 percent of the marine environment but are home to 25 percent of the ocean’s marine life.

• Case: Caribbean Reef Fish & Coral Protection
• Case: Pila`a Coral Reef Protection

Coral Reef
Threats

Coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to warmer waters and acidification brought on by climate change, leading scientists to predict that places like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef may not survive past this century without significant carbon reductions.

• Case: Caribbean Reef Fish & Coral Protection
• Case: Pila`a Coral Reef Protection

Antarctic Krill
Species Profile

One of the true unsung heroes of the oceans, Antarctic krill form the base of the incredibly rich Antarctic food chain by playing a vital role in feeding many Antarctic inhabitants, such as whales, penguins, seals, seabirds and squid.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Antarctic Krill

Antarctic Krill
Threats

The survival of Antarctic krill greatly depends on the availability of pack ice for protection and food, which will become scarcer as climate change increases sea ice melt.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Antarctic Krill

Atlantic Lobster
Species Profile

An enduring New England icon, the Atlantic lobster has long been a mainstay of local economies and livelihoods along the northeast coast.

• Feature: Port Clyde: A Way of Life Revived
• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Atlantic Lobster

Atlantic Lobster
Threats

Though they have a tough-looking exterior, these crustaceans are really vulnerable to catching diseases in warmer waters—a problem that will only heat up as ocean temperatures rise.

• Feature: Port Clyde: A Way of Life Revived
• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Atlantic Lobster

Northern Bluefin Tuna
Species Profile

The giant northern Bluefin tuna is one of the top predators of the ocean, in part by swimming up to 30 miles per hour when pursuing prey and possessing the ability to regulate its own body temperature.

• Feature: Bluefin Tuna: Vanishing Act
• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Northern Bluefin Tuna

Northern Bluefin Tuna
Threats

Already severely threatened by overfishing, the bluefin tuna will find it more difficult to build up energy reserves necessary to make the long journey to their spawning grounds as sardines, herring and other prey move into different waters in response to global warming.

• Feature: Bluefin Tuna: Vanishing Act
• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Northern Bluefin Tuna

Pacific Salmon
Species Profile

One of the most enduring icons of the Pacific Northwest, Pacific salmon have been the lifeblood of generations of fishermen and are an integral part of communities up and down the West coast.

• Feature: Salmon Protection in the Northwest
• Feature: Salmon Return to Columbia-Snake

Pacific Salmon
Threats

Pacific salmon are faced with a multitude of threats, including the construction of “fish-killing” dams, pesticide exposure, and rising stream and ocean temperatures that threaten the cold water species’ survival.

• Feature: Salmon Protection in the Northwest
• Feature: Salmon Return to Columbia-Snake

Green Turtle
Species Profile

Named after the green color of the fat found beneath its shell, the green sea turtle spends much of its 80-year lifespan plying the tropical and subtropical waters of the world’s oceans and feeding off of seagrass that grows in shallow lagoons.

• Photo Slideshow: Sea Turtles In Peril
• Feature: Sea Turtles In Peril: Rescued From Longliners

Green Turtle
Threats

Rising sea levels and warmer temperatures from global warming may submerge many of the beaches green sea turtles rely on to lay their eggs and swing the balance toward female turtles since temperatures help determine the gender of incubating eggs.

• Photo Slideshow: Sea Turtles In Peril
• Feature: Sea Turtles In Peril: Rescued From Longliners

Beluga Whale
Species Profile

One of the smallest whale species, the extremely social beluga lives in pods that usually have about a dozen members but can grow to hundreds of individuals.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Beluga Whale

Beluga Whale
Threats

Unfortunately, belugas sit at the top of an ailing food chain that relies on sea ice, which is melting rapidly due to climate change.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Beluga Whale

Hawaiian Monk Seal
Species Profile

The Hawaiian monk seal, with folds of skin reminiscent of a monk’s hood, dives hundreds of feet to feed and is found only in the Hawaiian Islands.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Hawaiian Monk Seal
• Feature: 40 Earthjustice Victories For The Earth: Hawaiian Monk Seal

Hawaiian Monk Seal
Threats

One of the rarest mammals in the world, the monk seal uses isolated beaches for resting, molting, and rearing its young, which rising sea levels from global warming are threatening to flood and wash out, leaving the monk seals with few alternatives to survive.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Hawaiian Monk Seal
• Feature: 40 Earthjustice Victories For The Earth: Hawaiian Monk Seal

Walrus
Species Profile

Easily recognized by its two long, white tusks, walruses are expert swimmers, spending days at sea feeding before using their long tusks to pull themselves onto sea ice, where they join hundreds of other walruses to rest.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Walrus

Walrus
Threats

Walruses greatly rely on sea ice to recover their strength when they forage in shallow waters, so as climate change causes sea ice to retreat walruses are being forced to choose between rest and food.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Walrus

Southern Resident Orca
Species Profile

Puget Sound’s iconic Southern Resident orcas have resided in the area’s waters for thousands of years, surviving on a rich and abundant salmon population.

• Case: West Coast Marine Life and the Navy’s NW Training Range
• Feature: Down To Earth: Patti Goldman On Protecting Orcas

Southern Resident Orca
Threats

Though they have no natural predators, the Southern Resident orca population continues to struggle to recover from a multitude of threats like toxic contamination and dwindling salmon supplies.

• Case: West Coast Marine Life and the Navy’s NW Training Range
• Feature: Down To Earth: Patti Goldman On Protecting Orcas

Steller Sea Lion
Species Profile

Alaska’s Steller sea lions are powerful, playful creatures that, though rowdy on land, are gracefully adept at moving through the area’s icy waters to eat pollock, an important food source.

• Feature: Steller Sea Lion Litigation Brought to a Close
• Case: Steller Sea Lion Consultation

Steller Sea Lion
Threats

Despite past conservation measures, the western stock of Steller sea lions has declined by almost 90 percent from their historic levels, perhaps, in part, due to a similar decline in Atka mackerel and Pacific cod by large commercial bottom trawlers.

• Feature: Steller Sea Lion Litigation Brought to a Close
• Case: Steller Sea Lion Consultation

Narwhal
Species Profile

Also known as "sea unicorns" for their famous tusks, the narwhal is uniquely suited to life in the Arctic, feeding on flatfish and other prey at depths of up to 1500 meters under pack ice.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Narwhal

Narwhal
Threats

Like all whales, narwhals need to surface for air, but as global warming causes more rainstorms in the Arctic, open areas of water can quickly turn into impenetrable ice sheets, preventing the narwhal from gasping for breath.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Narwhal

Gray Whale
Species Profile

Often longer than a school bus and weighing 30 to 40 tons, gray whales consume bottom-dwelling crustaceans and krill by turning on their sides and scooping up huge amounts of sediment from the sea floor.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Gray Whale

Gray Whale
Threats

Rises in sea temperature have degraded the gray whale’s Arctic feeding grounds so that a food supply formerly estimated to support 90,000 whales can no longer feed even the estimated 22,000 roaming the Pacific Ocean, resulting in more cases of thin adults and dying calves.

• Feature: Irreplaceable Wildlife: Gray Whale

Humpback Whale
Species Profile

Humpback whales are best known for their enchanting songs, which are made using a series of moans and howls and are most likely used for communication and to attract mates.

• Case: West Coast Marine Life and the Navy’s NW Training Range
• Feature: Judge Quiets Navy's Impact on Humpback Whales

Humpback Whale
Threats

Though powerful swimmers, humpback whales can’t outswim the multiple threats of longline fishing, sonar testing and Arctic oil drilling that jeopardize the already endangered species.

• Case: West Coast Marine Life and the Navy’s NW Training Range
• Feature: Judge Quiets Navy's Impact on Humpback Whales