Large Yellow Croaker
CR

Large Yellow Croaker

Larimichthys crocea

Declining

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larimichthys_crocea

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The large yellow croaker has experienced catastrophic population collapse due to intensive commercial fishing, with catches declining by over 95% since the 1970s. Overfishing using destructive methods like bottom trawling has severely depleted spawning populations, while coastal development and pollution have degraded critical nursery habitats in estuarine areas. Climate change is altering water temperatures and currents in the East China Sea, disrupting the species' spawning cycles and larval distribution patterns.

Threat summary

Habitat

Large yellow croakers inhabit coastal and offshore waters of the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, preferring depths of 60-200 meters over sandy and muddy bottoms. They migrate to shallow estuarine waters and river mouths for spawning, requiring specific temperature and salinity conditions for successful reproduction.

Marine coastal/supratidal· majorMarine neritic· major

Conservation measures underway

Resource & habitat protectionSpecies recovery

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Large Yellow Croaker classified as Critically Endangered?
Large Yellow Croaker is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The large yellow croaker has experienced catastrophic population collapse due to intensive commercial fishing, with catches declining by over 95% since the 1970s. Overfishing using destructive methods like bottom trawling has severely depleted spawning populations, while coastal development and pollution have degraded critical nursery habitats in estuarine areas. Climate change is altering water temperatures and currents in the East China Sea, disrupting the species' spawning cycles and larval distribution patterns.
Where does Large Yellow Croaker live?
Large Yellow Croaker occurs in China, Hong Kong SAR China, Japan, Namibia, Netherlands, and New Zealand (plus 4 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Large Yellow Croaker?
The main threats to Large Yellow Croaker are 2.4, 5.3, 5.4, and 9.3.4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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