There are 22 marine mammals currently on the ESA list. The whales listed as endangered include beluga, blue, bowhead, fin, gray, sei, humpback, killer, North Atlantic right and North Pacific right. There are a few dolphins and porpoises that have been added to the list over the years, including the Chinese river dolphin, Indus River dolphin and Gulf of California harbor porpoise. Some seals, including the Mediterranean monk seal, Saimaa seal, spotted seal and the stellar sea lion, are also on the ESA list. Manatees and sea otters are marine mammals that are endangered; however, these mammals are currently protected under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
Due to natural predators, damage to nesting grounds and poaching, marine or sea turtles have been added to the list of endangered species. Many of the turtles can be found nesting on the beaches of Florida from March through October and include Hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, loggerhead and leatherback turtles. The Green turtle, which nests on the shores of Florida and Mexico's Pacific, is also on the endangered species list. The Olive Ridley turtle is another marine turtle on the ESA list.
There are 35 different species of fish on the endangered species list, including salmon, sturgeon and trout. Types of endangered salmon include Atlantic, Boccaccio, Chinook, chum, coho and sockeye. Other fish on the list include green sturgeon, Gulf sturgeon, Pacific eulachon, shortnose sturgeon, smalltooth sawfish, steelhead trout, totoaba and yelloweye rockfish.
Marine invertebrates are those animals that do not have an internal skeletal system and include mullosks, sponges, eels and coral. Of all the marine invertebrates, only four are listed as endangered: the elkhorn coral, staghorn coral, white abalone and black abalone.
Johnson's Seagrass is currently the only plant listed as an endangered species and is listed as threatened. This type of sea grass offers shelter and nursery habitats for small sea animals just off the shores of coastal regions and in coastal lagoons. Johnson's Seagrass was named as a critical habitat in the coastal waters of Florida in 2000. Current threats to Johnson's Seagrass include propellers, dredging, erosion and degraded water quality through oil spills and other pollution.