The eligibilty of threatened species and key threatening process to be listed in the schedules of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 is determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee in accordance with the criteria prescribed in the Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2010.

The current list of threatened species, populations, ecological communities and key threatening processes are set out below:

Species presumed extinct

A species is eligible to be listed as presumed extinct if, in the opinion of the Fisheries Scientific Committee, it has not been recorded in its known or expected habitat over a time frame appropriate to its life cycle.

• Bennetts seaweed - Vanvoorstia bennettiana
• Green sawfish - Pristis zijsron
• Haswells caprellid - Metaprotella haswelliana
• Marine worm - Hadrachaeta aspeta (30 kb, )

Critically endangered species

Critically endangered species face an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. A species is eligible for listing as critically endangered if it has undergone an extremely large reduction in abundance, geographic distribution or genetic diversity and is affected by a threatening process.

• Fitzroy Falls spiny crayfish - Euastacus dharawalus
• Grey nurse shark - Carcharias taurus
• Murray hardyhead - Craterocephalus fluviatilis
• Marine brown alga - Nereia lophocladia
• Flathead galaxias - Galaxias rostratus
• Marine slug - Smeagol hilaris

Endangered species

Endangered species face a very high risk of extinction in the near future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. A species is eligible for listing as endangered if it has undergone a very large reduction in abundance, geographic distribution or genetic diversity and is affected by a threatening process.

• Eastern freshwater cod - Maccullochella ikei
• Oxleyan pygmy perch - Nannoperca oxleyana
• River snail - Notopala sublineata
• Southern bluefin tuna - Thunnus maccoyii
• Trout cod - Maccullochella macquariensis
• Sydney hawk dragonfly - Austrocordulia leonardi
• Adams emerald dragonfly - Archaeophya adamsi
• Macquarie perch - Macquaria australasica
• Southern pygmy perch - Nannoperca australis
• Purple spotted gudgeon - Mogurnda adspersa
• Scalloped hammerhead shark - Sphyrna lewini

Vulnerable species

Vulnerable species face a high risk of extinction in the medium term future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. A species is eligible for listing as vulnerable if it has undergone a large reduction in abundance, geographic distribution or genetic diversity and is affected by a threatening process.

• Black Rockcod - Epinephelus daemelii
• Bousfield Marsh Hopper - Microrchestia bousfieldi
• Buchanans fairy shrimp - Branchinella buchananensis
• Great white shark - Carcharodon carcharias
• Silver perch - Bidyanus bidyanus
• Great Hammerhead Shark - Sphyrna mokarran

Endangered populations

Endangered populations face a very high risk of extinction in the near future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. For a population to be eligible for listing it must be clearly defined and satisfy one or more of the following:

1. It is disjunct or near the limit of its geographic range,
2. It is genetically, biologically, morphologically, or ecologically distinct,
3. It is otherwise of significant conservation value

The population must have undergone a very large reduction in abundance, distribution or genetic diversity and be affected by a threatening process.

• Western population of olive perchlet - Ambassis agassizii
• Snowy River population of river blackfish - Gadopsis marmoratus
• Murray-Darling Basin population of eel tailed catfish - Tandanus tandanus
• Posidonia australis - Port Hacking, Botany Bay, Sydney Harbour, Pittwater, Brisbane Waters and Lake Macquarie populations.

Critically endangered ecological communities

Critically endangered ecological communities face an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. An ecological community is eligible for listing as critically endangered if it has undergone an extremely large reduction in ecological function, geographic distribution or genetic diversity, and is affected by a threatening process.

• There are currently no critically endangered ecological communities listed

Endangered ecological communities

Endangered ecological communities face a very high risk of extinction in the near future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. An ecological community is eligible for listing as endangered if it has undergone a very large reduction in ecological function, geographic distribution or genetic diversity, and is affected by a threatening process.

• Lowland Murray River aquatic ecological community
• Lowland Darling River aquatic ecological community
• Lowland Lachlan River aquatic ecological community
• Snowy River aquatic ecological community

Vulnerable ecological communities

Vulnerable ecological communities face a high risk of extinction in the medium term future as determined by the Fisheries Scientific Committee. An ecological community is eligible for listing as vulnerable if it has undergone a large reduction in ecological function, geographic distribution or genetic diversity, and is affected by a threatening process.

• There are currently no vulnerable ecological communities listed.

Key threatening processes

Key threatening processes are threatening processes that, in the opinion of the Fisheries Scientific Committee, adversely affect threatened species populations or ecological communities, or could cause species, populations or ecological communities that are not threatened to become threatened.

• Current shark meshing program in NSW waters
• Hook and line fishing in areas important for the survival of threatened fish species
• Human-caused climate change (51 kb, )
• The introduction of fish to fresh waters within a river catchment outside their natural range
• The removal of large woody debris from NSW rivers and streams
• The degradation of native riparian vegetation along New South Wales water courses
• Instream structures and other mechanisms that alter natural flow
• Introduction of non-indigenous fish and marine vegetation to the coastal waters of New South Wales