2024 Red List II of Fish and Lamprey
Fish are present in all Baltic Sea habitat types. Around 230 fish species occur in the Baltic Sea (HELCOM 2012), including species of both marine and freshwater origin. Different types of assemblages characterize coastal and open sea areas, and many fish have different key habitats in different seasons. For example, they may migrate between coastal and offshore areas for spawning or feeding. Some populations even move between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. Coastal areas and freshwater tributaries are key habitats for freshwater species.
Overview of the assessment results for fish and lamprey
There were 21 fish species assessed as threatened (CR-VU) of the total 116 species that were evaluated in the HELCOM Red List II assessment. Two species, Acipenser oxyrinchus and Dipturus batis remain Regionally Extinct (RE) and two more species (Pomatoschistus norvegicus and Pomatoschistus pictus) that were previously categorized as Data Deficient (DD) are now also in the Regionally Extinct (RE) category. Four species remained as Critically Endangered (CR), seven species as Endangered (EN) and ten as Vulnerable (VU). The total list of the assessed fish species and the categories assigned to them are available in Annex 2 of the Red List II species report. Altogether, 41 species were red-listed (RE-DD) in 2024, compared to the 33 species in 2013.
Evaluated, Not Evaluated (NE) or Not Applicable (NA) species
Out of the total list of 242 fish and lamprey species of the HELCOM Checklist 2.0 (HELCOM 2020), a total of 123 species entered the Red List II assessment process, out of which 116 species were evaluated, four (3.4%) were left unevaluated (Not Evaluated) and the category Not Applicable (NA) was given to three species. In 2013 Red List 239 species entered the assessment process, out of which 113 species were evaluated and 126 species were categorized as NA.
Red List categories within the assessed fish species
The proportion of the category Least Concern (LC) was high: 75 (61.0%) in 2024 and even higher in 2013, being 80 (33.5%) species. The proportion of the assignment of the category Not Applicable (NA) (126 species, 52.7%) was high in 2013 (excluding those species that do not naturally occur within the HELCOM area with a salinity of 0.5 psu), but lessened in 2024 to three species. Two species (Platichthys solemdali and Chelon ramada) categorized as Not Applicable (NA) in 2013 are categorized as Data Deficient (DD) in 2024 and four species (Myoxocephalus quadricornis, Alosa fallax, Auxis rochei and Scomberesox saurus) as Least Concern (LC).
Red List categories and Species Information Sheets (SIS)
The Species Information Sheets (SIS) were updated for those species that were categorized as threatened during the Red List II project, meaning those assessed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable and those categorised as Regionally Extinct. For those species that were categorized as threatened for the first time, a SIS was produced with only a summary table and distribution map.
| Red List II / SIS 2024 | Criteria 2024 | Scientific name | Common name | Red List / SIS 2013 | Criteria 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Acipenser oxyrinchus | American atlantic sturgeon | | ||
| Dipturus batis | Skate | | ||
| Pomatoschistus norvegicus | Norway goby |  | ||
| Pomatoschistus pictus | Painted goby | | ||
 | A1cd+2bcde +3cd+4cd | Anguilla anguilla | Eel | | A3bde +4bde |
| A1d+2d +3d+4d; D | Lamna nasus | Porbeagle | | A2bd |
| A1bd+2bd +3bd+4bd | Squalus acanthias | Spurdog | | A2bd |
| A2bd+3bd +4bd | Thymallus thymallus | Grayling | | A2bcd |
 | A1cd+2bcde +3cd+4cd | Anarhichas lupus | Wolf-fish | | A2d |
| A2d+3d+4d | Coregonus maraena | Whitefish | | A2bd |
| A2d+3d+4d | Molva molva | Ling | | A2d |
| B1ab(v) | Salmo salar | Salmon |  | A2cd +3d+4d |
| A2abcde +3bcd+4bcd | Gadus morhua | Cod | | A2b,c +A4b,c |
| A2d | Glyptocephalus cynoglossus | Witch |  | |
| A2b | Liparis liparis | Sea-snail |  | |
| A2abd+3bd +4bd | Merlangius merlangus | Whiting | | A2bd |
| A3bd+4bd | Raja clavata | Thornback ray | | A2bd |
| A2ac; C2a(i) | Petromyzon marinus | Sea lamprey | | C2a(i) |
| A3d | Salmo trutta | Trout | | A3d |
| A2bd | Cyclopterus lumpus | Lumpsucker |  | A2b |
| A2bd | Enchelyopus cimbrius | Four-bearded rockling | | A2b |
| A2bd+3bd +4bd | Zoarces viviparus | Eelpout | | A2b |
| B2ab(iii,v) | Leuciscus aspius | Asp | | A3d |
| A2bd | Amblyrayes radiata | Starry ray / Thorny skate | | |
| A2bcd | Myoxocephalus scorpius | Bull-rout | | |
 | A1bd+2bd +3bd+4bd | Lampetra fluviatilis | River lamprey | | A2bd |
| A2abcd +3bd+4bd | Lota lota | Burbot | | A2b |
| A1bd+2bd +3bd+4bd; B1b(v) | Scophthalmus maximus | Turbot | | A2bd |
| A2bcd | Cottus gobio | Bullhead | | |
 | Lebetus guilleti | Guillet’s goby | | ||
| Lycodes gracilis | Checker eelpout | | ||
| Phrynorhombus norvegicus | Norwegian topknot | | ||
| Zeugopterus punctatus | Topknot | | ||
| Melanogrammus aeglefinus | Haddock | | B1a+2a | |
| Merluccius merluccius | Hake | | ||
| Lesueurigobius friesii | Fries’s goby | | B1a+2a | |
| Pelecus cultratus | Razor-fish | | ||
| Phoxinus phoxinus | Minnow | | ||
| Spinachia spinachia | Fifteen-spined stickleback | | ||
| Scyliorhinus canicula | Lesser spotted dogfish | | ||
| Alburnus alburnus | Bleak | | ||
| Ammodytes marinus | Raitt,s sandeel | | ||
| Ammodytes tobianus | Sandeel | | ||
| Clupea harengus | Herring | | ||
| Cobitis taenia | Spined loach | | ||
| Coregonus albula | Vendace | | ||
| Entelurus aequoreus | Snake pipefish | | ||
| Labrus bergylta | Ballan wrasse | | ||
| Labrus mixtus | Cuckoo wrasse | | ||
| Liparis montagui | Montagu’s sea-snail | | ||
| Lumpenus lampretaeformis | Snake blenny | | ||
| Nerophis lumbriciformis | Worm pipefish | | ||
| Nerophis ophidion | Straight-nosed pipefish | | ||
| Symphodus melops | Corkwing wrasse | | ||
| Syngnathus acus | Greater pipefish | | ||
| Syngnathus typhle | Deep-snouted pipefish | | ||
| Taurulus bubalis | Sea scorpion | | ||
| Trachinus draco | Greater weever | | ||
| Myoxocephalus quadricornis | Fourhorn sculpin | | ||
| Alosa fallax | Twaite shad | | ||
 | Galeorhinus galeus | Tope | | ||
| Somniosus microcephalus | Greenland shark |  | |||
| Squatina squatina | Angel shark/ Monk fish | | |||
| Thunnus thynnus | Blue-fin tuna | | |||
| Zeus faber | John dory | | |||
| Alopias vulpinus | Thresher shark | | |||
| Alosa alosa | Allis shad | | |||
| Ballerus ballerus | Blue bream, Zope | | |||
| Barbus barbus | Barbel | | |||
| Cetorhinus maximus | Basking shark | | |||
| Chimaera monstrosa | Rabbit-fish | | |||
| Coryphaenoides rupestris | Roundnose grenadier/ Blunt-nose rattail | | |||
| Cottus poecilopus | Alpine bullhead | | |||
| Galeus melastomus | Black mouthed dogfish | | |||
| Gobio gobio | Gudgeon | | |||
| Hippoglossus hippoglossus | Halibut | | |||
| Scomber scombrus | Mackerel | | |||
| Sebastes norvegicus | Red fish / Golden red fish | | |||
| Sebastes viviparus | Norway haddock | | |||
| Pollachius pollachius | Pollack | |