‘Finding Nemo’ Fish Endangered: Orange Clownfish Faces Extinction

It’s getting a lot harder to find Nemo. The Orange Clownfish, the fish popularized by the Pixar movie Finding Nemo, could soon become extinct.

According to The Summit County Voice, a group of environmental activists petitioned the government this week to protect the Nemo fish, along with several other species, under the Endangered Species Act.

Shaye Wolf, climate science director with the Center for Biological Diversity.

“We risk losing the striking fish that inspired ‘Finding Nemo’ forever if we don’t put the brakes on global warming and ocean acidification… Carbon pollution harms these fish and destroys their coral reef homes. If we want these beautiful animals to survive in the wild, not just in a movie, we have to protect them under the Endangered Species Act.”

The Center For Biological Diversity warned that ocean acidification and global warming are threatening the entire coral reef ecosystem. Which means that all of Nemo’s friends are also in danger.

Wolf said:

“Coral reefs are the rainforests of the ocean, but carbon pollution will bulldoze their biodiversity…. The longer we wait to provide Endangered Species Act protection and reduce the greenhouse gases harming reef fish and destroying their homes, the harder it’s going to be to save these unique creatures.”

The clownfish is also being threatened due to over-harvesting. UPI reports that the population of orange clownfish is rapidly declining because they are in such high demand for aquariums.

The petition asks for the orange clownfish and seven species of damselfish to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Center For Biological Diversity is also working to protect several coral reefs in Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Indo-Pacific.

Do you think Nemo should be protected by the Endangered Species Act?