Editing Clipperton Island (section)

===Flora and fauna===
{{see also|List of endemic species of Clipperton Island}}
[[File:Jielbeaumadier crabe de clipperton mjp paris 2014.jpeg|left|thumb|A bright-orange [[Johngarthia oceanica|Clipperton crab]] (''Johngarthia oceanica'')]]
When Snodgrass and Heller visited in 1898, they reported that "no land plant is native to the island".{{sfnp|Snodgrass|Heller|1902}} Historical accounts from 1711, 1825, and 1839 show a low grassy or suffrutescent (partially woody) flora. During [[Marie-Hélène Sachet]]{{'s}} visit in 1958, the vegetation was found to consist of a sparse cover of spiny grass and low thickets, a creeping plant (''[[Ipomoea]] spp.''), and stands of coconut palm. This low-lying herbaceous flora seems to be a pioneer in nature, and most of it is believed to be composed of recently introduced species. Sachet suspected that ''[[Heliotropium curassavicum]]'', and possibly ''[[Portulaca oleracea]]'', were native. [[Coconut]] palms and [[pig]]s introduced in the 1890s by [[guano]] miners were still present in the 1940s.{{sfnp|Fluckey|2012|p=17}} The largest coconut grove is Bougainville Wood ({{lang|fr|Bois de Bougainville}}) on the southwestern end of the island.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jost |first1=Christian H. |author-link=Christian Jost (geographer) |last2=Andréfouët |first2=Serge |date=2006 |title=Long-term natural and human perturbations and current status of Clipperton Atoll, a remote island of the Eastern Pacific |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=PC060207 |journal=Pacific Conservation Biology|volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=207–218 |doi=10.1071/PC060207 |issn=1038-2097 }}</ref> On the northwest side of the atoll, the most abundant plant species are ''[[Cenchrus echinatus]]'', ''[[Sida rhombifolia]]'', and ''[[Corchorus]] aestuans''. These plants compose a shrub cover up to {{Convert|30|cm|lk=on|abbr=on}} in height, and are intermixed with ''[[Eclipta (plant)|Eclipta]]'', ''[[Phyllanthus]]'', and ''[[Solanum]]'', as well as the taller ''[[Brassica juncea]]''. The islets in the lagoon are primarily vegetated with [[Cyperaceae]], [[Scrophulariaceae]], and ''[[Ipomoea pes-caprae]]''.{{sfnp|Jost|Friedlander|Ballesteros|Brown|2016|p=12}} A unique feature of Clipperton is that the vegetation is arranged in parallel rows of species, with dense rows of taller species alternating with lower, more open vegetation. This was assumed to be a result of the trench-digging method of [[phosphate]] mining used by guano hunters.<ref name=ClippertonIsland/>

The only land animals known to exist are two species of reptiles (the [[Gehyra insulensis|Pacific stump-toed gecko]] and the [[Emoia cyanura|copper-tailed skink]]),<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ineich |first1=Ivan |last2=Zug |first2=George R. |date=1991-12-13 |title=Nomenclatural Status of Emoia cyanura (Lacertilia, Scincidae) Populations in the Central Pacific |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1446114 |journal=Copeia |volume=1991 |issue=4 |pages=1132 |doi=10.2307/1446114|jstor=1446114 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Zug|first=George R.|year=2013|title=Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands: A Comprehensive Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpts77fVJ94C&pg=PP45|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-95540-0|page=45}}</ref> bright-orange land crabs known as [[Johngarthia oceanica|Clipperton crabs]] (''Johngarthia oceanica'', prior to 2019 classified as ''Johngartia planata''),<ref>{{Cite WoRMS|last=Davie|first=P.|year=2015|title=''Johngarthia planata'' (Stimpson, 1860)|id=444454|access-date=22 February 2017|db=DecaNet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite WoRMS|last=Perger|first=R.|year=2019|title=''Johngarthia oceanica'' (Perger, 2019)|id=1344370|access-date=2023-06-01|db=DecaNet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sanvicente-Añorve |first1=Laura |last2=Lemus-Santana |first2=Elia |last3=Solìs-Weiss |first3=Vivianne |date=2016 |title=Body Growth Pattern of an Isolated Land Crab Species (''Johngarthia planata'') (Decapoda, Gercarcinidae) From the Eastern Tropical Pacific: an Ecological Approach |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44250144 |journal=Crustaceana |volume=89 |issue=13 |pages=1525–1539 |doi=10.1163/15685403-00003602 |jstor=44250144 |issn=0011-216X |access-date=31 March 2023 |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331142940/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44250144 |url-status=live }}</ref> birds, and [[black rats|ship rats]]. The rats probably arrived when large fishing boats wrecked on the island in 1999 and 2000.<ref name="Pitman et al. 2005"/>

The pigs introduced in the 1890s reduced the crab population, which in turn allowed [[grassland]] to gradually cover about 80&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent of the land surface.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sachet |first= Marie-Hélène |author-link=Marie-Hélène Sachet |date=7 March 1962b |title=Flora and vegetation of Clipperton Island |url=https://archive.org/details/biostor-78159/page/n37/mode/2up |journal=[[Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences]] |series=4th |volume=31 |issue=10 |pages=249–307 |publisher=[[California Academy of Sciences]] |location=[[San Francisco]], California |access-date=12 January 2018 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=McNeill |first=J.R. |title=Of Rats and Men: A Synoptic Environmental History of the Island Pacific* |date=2022-02-02 |work=Environmental History in the Pacific World |pages=69–119 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315256313/chapters/10.4324/9781315256313-3 |access-date=2024-09-23 |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315256313-3 |isbn=978-1-315-25631-3}}</ref> The elimination of these pigs in 1958, the result of a personal project by [[Kenneth E. Stager]],<ref name=":17" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Demelash |first=Mebea |date=2024-05-09 |title=Remembering Kenneth E. Stager: A legacy of passion and inspiration |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/471237/remembering-kenneth-e-stager-legacy-passion-and-inspiration |access-date=2024-09-22 |work=Defense Visual Information Distribution Service |publisher=United States Department of Defense}}</ref> caused most of this vegetation to disappear as the population of land crabs recovered.<ref name="Pitman et al. 2005">{{Cite journal|last1=Pitman|first1=Robert L.|last2=Ballance|first2=Lisa T.|last3=Bost|first3=Charly|year=2005|title=Clipperton Island: Pigsty, Rat Hole, and Booby Prize|journal=[[Marine Ornithology]]|volume=33|issue=2|pages=193–194|citeseerx=10.1.1.600.7376|url=http://www.clipperton.fr/downloads/ArtPitman2006.pdf|access-date=2023-06-21|archive-date=17 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617175740/http://www.clipperton.fr/downloads/ArtPitman2006.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, Clipperton is mostly a sandy desert with only 674&nbsp;palms counted by [[Christian Jost (geographer)|Christian Jost]] during the Passion 2001 French mission and five islets in the lagoon with grass that the terrestrial crabs cannot reach. A 2005 report by the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]{{'s}} Southwest Fisheries Science Center indicated that after the introduction of rats and their increased presence has led to a decline in both crab and bird populations, causing a corresponding increase in both vegetation and coconut palms. This report urgently recommended eradication of rats, which have been destroying bird nesting sites and the crab population,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Harper |first1=Grant A. |last2=Bunbury |first2=Nancy |date=2015 |title=Invasive rats on tropical islands: Their population biology and impacts on native species |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |language=en |volume=3 |pages=607–627 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2015.02.010|doi-access=free |bibcode=2015GEcoC...3..607H }}</ref><ref name=":18" /> so that vegetation might be reduced, and the island might return to its 'pre-human' state.<ref name="Pitman et al. 2005" />

In 1825, [[Benjamin Morrell]] reported finding green sea turtles nesting on Clipperton, but later expeditions have not found nesting turtles there, possibly due to disruption from guano extraction, as well as the introduction of pigs and rats. Sea turtles found on the island appear to have been injured due to fishing practices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lorvelec |first1=Olivier |last2=Pascal |first2=Michel |last3=Fretey |first3=Jacques |date=2009 |title=Sea turtles on Clipperton Island (Eastern Tropical Pacific) |url=http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn124/mtn124p10.shtml |journal=Marine Turtle Newsletter |volume=10 |issue=13 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014540/http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn124/mtn124p10.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Morrell also reported fur and elephant seals on the island in 1825, but they too have not been recorded by later expeditions.{{sfnp|Lorvelec|Pascal|Fretey|2009}}<ref name=Morrell1841 />
[[File:Enchelynassa canina head.jpg|thumb|The head of a [[Enchelynassa canina|viper moray]] (''Enchelynassa canina'')]]
Birds are common on the island; Morrell noted in 1825: "The whole island is literally covered with sea-birds, such as gulls, whale-birds, gannets, and the booby".<ref name=Morrell1841 /> Thirteen species of birds are known to breed on the island and 26 others have been observed as visitors.<ref name=":18">{{cite report |first1=Christian H. |last1=Jost |author-link1=Christian Jost (geographer) |first2=Alan |last2=Friedlander |first3=Enric |last3=Ballesteros |first4=Eric |last4=Brown |first5=Jenn |last5=Caselle |first6=Brad |last6=Henning |first7=Mauricio |last7=Hoyos |first8=Pelayo |last8=Salinas de León |first9=Paul |last9=Rose |first10=Chris |last10=Thompson |first11=Enric |last11=Sala |language=fr |title=L'Atoll de Clipperton (Île de la Passion) : Biodiversité, Menaces, et Recommandations pour sa Conservation. Rapport au Gouvernement de la France. Août 2016. |trans-title=Clipperton Atol (Île de la Passion) : Biodiversity, Threats, and Recommendations for its Convservation. Report to the French Government. August 2016. |year=2016 |publisher=CRIOBE |location=Papetō{{'eta}}ai, Mo{{'eta}}orea, French Polynesia |page=10 |url=https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/PristineSeasClippertonScientificReport.pdf |access-date=2023-04-10 |archive-date=26 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726053930/https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/PristineSeasClippertonScientificReport.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The island has been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] by [[BirdLife International]] because of the large breeding colony of masked boobies, with 110,000&nbsp;individual birds recorded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/clipperton-iba-french-polynesia/details|title=Important Bird Areas factsheet: Clipperton|website=Datazone.BirdLife.org|publisher=[[BirdLife International]]|year=2018|access-date=11 January 2018|archive-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112100916/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/clipperton-iba-french-polynesia/details|url-status=live}}</ref> Observed bird species include [[white tern]]s, [[Masked booby|masked boobies]], [[sooty tern]]s, [[Brown booby|brown boobies]], [[Brown noddy|brown noddies]], [[Black noddy|black noddies]], [[Greater frigatebird|great frigatebirds]], [[coot]]s, [[Swallow|martins]] (swallows), [[cuckoo]]s, and [[yellow warbler]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bustamante |first1=Paco |last2=Le Verge |first2=Thibault |last3=Bost |first3=Charles-André |last4=Brault-Favrou |first4=Maud |last5=Le Corre |first5=Matthieu |last6=Weimerskirch |first6=Henri |last7=Cherel |first7=Yves |date=2023-10-24 |title=Mercury contamination in the tropical seabird community from Clipperton Island, eastern Pacific Ocean |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10646-023-02691-2 |journal=Ecotoxicology|volume=32 |issue=8 |pages=1050–1061 |doi=10.1007/s10646-023-02691-2 |pmid=37615819 |bibcode=2023Ecotx..32.1050B |s2cid=261098767 |issn=0963-9292}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last=Stager |first=Kenneth E. |date=1964 |title=The Birds of Clipperton Island, Eastern Pacific |url=https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/66/5/357-371/5229076 |journal=[[The Condor (journal)|The Condor]] |volume=66 |issue=5 |pages=357–371 |doi=10.2307/1365428 |jstor=1365428 |issn=1938-5129 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410154039/https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-abstract/66/5/357/5229076?redirectedFrom=fulltext |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite journal |last=Ehrhardt |first=Jean P. |date=December 1971 |title=Census of the Birds of Clipperton Island, 1968 |url=https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/73/4/476-480/5202677 |journal=[[The Condor (journal)|The Condor]] |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=476–480 |doi=10.2307/1366675 |jstor=1366675 |issn=1938-5129}}</ref> Ducks and moorhens have been reported in the lagoon.<ref name=ClippertonIsland/>

The coral reef on the north side of the island includes colonies more than {{convert|2|m|ft|}} high. The 2018 Tara Pacific expedition located five colonies of ''[[Millepora platyphylla]]'' at depths of {{convert|28|–|32|m|ft}}, the first of this fire coral species known in the region.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rouan |first1=Alice |last2=Pousse |first2=Melanie |last3=Djerbi |first3=Nadir |last4=Porro |first4=Barbara |last5=Bourdin |first5=Guillaume |last6=Carradec |first6=Quentin |last7=Hume |first7=Benjamin CC. |last8=Poulain |first8=Julie |last9=Lê-Hoang |first9=Julie |last10=Armstrong |first10=Eric |last11=Agostini |first11=Sylvain |last12=Salazar |first12=Guillem |last13=Ruscheweyh |first13=Hans-Joachim |last14=Aury |first14=Jean-Marc |last15=Paz-García |first15=David A. |date=2023-06-01 |title=Telomere DNA length regulation is influenced by seasonal temperature differences in short-lived but not in long-lived reef-building corals |journal=Nature Communications|volume=14 |issue=1 |page=3038 |doi=10.1038/s41467-023-38499-1 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=10235076 |pmid=37263999|bibcode=2023NatCo..14.3038R }}</ref> Among the ''[[Porites]] spp.'' stony corals, some [[coral bleaching|bleaching]] was observed, along with other indications of disease or stress, including parasitic worms and microalgae.<ref name=":5">{{Cite report |url=http://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.2.20403.89127 |title=Mission Tara Pacific sur l'atoll de Clipperton (île de La Passion – France) du 06 au 13 août 2018. Rapport de mission |trans-title=Tara Pacific Mission on Clipperton Atoll (île de La Passion – France) 6–13 August 2018. Mission report. |first1=Eric |last1=Clua |first2=François |last2=Aurat |first3=Nicolas |last3=Bin |first4=Sophie |last4=Bin |first5=Emilie |last5=Boissin |first6=Yann |last6=Chavance |first7=Daniel |last7=Cron |first8=Amanda |last8=Eleneau |first9=Martin |last9=Hertau |first10=Jonathan |last10=Lancelot |first11=Jean-Marc |last11=Moro |first12=Clémentine |last12=Moulin |first13=Alexis |last13=Pey |first14=Claudia |last14=Pogoreutz |first15=Thibaut |last15=Pollina |first16=Romain |last16=Troublé |first17=Serge |last17=Planes |date=2018 |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.20403.89127 |language=fr |docket=CRIOBE USR3278. RA272 |publisher=Tara Exhibitions Foundation |pages=52–53}}</ref>

The reefs that surround Clipperton have some of the highest concentration of [[Endemism|endemic species]] found anywhere with more than 115 species identified.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Allen |first=Gerald R. |date=2008 |title=Conservation hotspots of biodiversity and endemism for Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.880 |journal=Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems|volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=541–556 |doi=10.1002/aqc.880 |bibcode=2008ACMFE..18..541A |issn=1052-7613 |access-date=31 March 2023 |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331054821/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.880 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Crane |first1=Nicole L. |last2=Tariel |first2=Juliette |last3=Caselle |first3=Jennifer E. |last4=Friedlander |first4=Alan M. |last5=Robertson |first5=D. Ross |last6=Bernardi |first6=Giacomo |date=2018-06-27 |editor-last=Patterson |editor-first=Heather M. |title=Clipperton Atoll as a model to study small marine populations: Endemism and the genomic consequences of small population size |journal=PLOS One|volume=13 |issue=6 |pages=e0198901 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0198901 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=6021044 |pmid=29949612 |bibcode=2018PLoSO..1398901C |doi-access=free }}</ref>{{sfnp|Allen|Robertson|1997}} Many species are recorded in the area, including five or six endemics, such as [[Clipperton angelfish]] (''Holacanthus limbaughi''), Clipperton grouper (''[[Epinephelus]] clippertonensis''), Clipperton damselfish (''[[Stegastes]] baldwini'') and Robertson's wrasse (''[[Thalassoma robertsoni]]''). Widespread species around the reefs include [[Paranthias colonus|Pacific creolefish]], [[Blue and gold snapper|blue-and-gold snapper]], and various species of [[Mulloidichthys|goatfish]]. In the water column, [[Caranx|trevallies]] are predominant, including [[Caranx lugubris|black jacks]], [[bigeye trevally]], and [[bluefin trevally]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Béarez |first1=Philippe |title=Clipperton: environnement et biodiversité d'un microcosme océanique |last2=Séret |first2=Bernard |date=2009 |publisher=Publications scientifiques du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle IRD éd |isbn=978-2-85653-612-4 |editor-last=Charpy |editor-first=Loïc |series=Patrimoines naturels |location=Paris Marseille |language=French |trans-title=Clipperton: environment and biodiversity of an oceanic microcosm |chapter=Les poissons}}</ref> Also common around Clipperton are [[black triggerfish]];, several species of [[grouper]]s, including [[Dermatolepis dermatolepis|leather bass]] and [[Epinephelus labriformis|starry groupers]]; [[Mexican hogfish]]; [[Whitecheek surgeonfish|whitecheek]], [[Acanthurus triostegus|convict]], and [[Ctenochaetus marginatus|striped-fin surgeonfish]]; [[yellow longnose butterflyfish|yellow longnose]] and [[Johnrandallia|blacknosed butterflyfish]]; [[coral hawkfish]]; [[Arothron meleagris|golden pufferfish]]; [[Moorish idol]]s; [[parrotfish]]; and moray eels, especially [[speckled moray eel]]s.{{sfnp|Clua|Aurat|Bin|Bin|2018|pp=54–57}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Allen |first1=Gerald R. |last2=Robertson |first2=D. Ross |year=1997 |title=An annotated checklist of the fishes of Clipperton Atoll, tropical eastern Pacific |journal=Revista de Biología Tropical |issn=2215-2075 |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=813–843 |url=https://tropicalstudies.org/rbt/attachments/volumes/vol45-2/08_Allen_Clipperton_Atoll.pdf |access-date=2023-04-12 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406184341/https://tropicalstudies.org/rbt/attachments/volumes/vol45-2/08_Allen_Clipperton_Atoll.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The waters around the island are an important nursery for sharks, particularly the [[Oceanic whitetip shark|white tip shark]]. [[Galapagos shark]]s,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Morales-Serrano |first1=Naití |last2=Gonzalez-Pestana |first2=Adriana |date=2024-06-05 |title=Identification of the first nursery area of the Galápagos shark (''Carcharhinus galapagensis'') in the south-east Pacific Ocean |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.15820 |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |volume=105 |issue=3 |pages=1008–1013 |language=en |doi=10.1111/jfb.15820 |pmid=38840424 |bibcode=2024JFBio.105.1008M |issn=0022-1112}}</ref> [[Triaenodon obesus|reef sharks]], [[whale shark]]s,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-05-01 |title=Rastrean al pez más grande del mundo |trans-title=The world's largest fish is being tracked |url=https://eldiariodesonora.com.mx/rastrean-al-pez-mas-grande-del-mundo |access-date=2024-09-03 |work=El Diario de Sonora |location=Heroica Nogales, Sonora, Mexico |language=es-MX |quote=Anne permaneció en aguas panameñas durante 116 días, luego nadó hacia la Isla Clipperton (Francia), cerca de la Isla del Coco (Costa Rica) en su ruta hacia la Isla Darwin en Galápagos (Ecuador), un sitio conocido por atraer grupos de tiburones. 266 días después de que la etiquetaron, la señal desapareció, lo que indica que Anne navegaba demasiado profunda para seguirla. Después de 235 días de silencio, las transmisiones comenzaron de nuevo, al sur de Hawai. |trans-quote=Anne stayed in Panamanian waters for 116 days, then swam to Clipperton Island (France), near Cocos Island (Costa Rica) on her way to Darwin Island in the Galapagos (Ecuador), a site known to attract groups of sharks. 266 days after she was tagged, the signal disappeared, indicating that Anne was sailing too deep to be followed. After 235 days of silence, transmissions began again, south of Hawaii.}}</ref> and [[hammerhead shark]]s are also present around Clipperton.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Melanie |last2=Coffey |first2=Daniel M. |last3=Holland |first3=Kim |last4=Itano |first4=David |last5=Leroy |first5=Bruno |last6=Kohin |first6=Suzanne |last7=Vetter |first7=Russell |last8=Williams |first8=Ashley J. |last9=Wren |first9=Johanna |date=2019 |title=Movements and habitat use of juvenile silky sharks in the Pacific Ocean inform conservation strategies |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165783618302856 |journal=Fisheries Research|volume=210 |pages=131–142 |doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2018.10.016 |bibcode=2019FishR.210..131H |s2cid=92285864 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=2 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802094517/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165783618302856 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Clua|Aurat|Bin|Bin|2018|pp=62–63}}

Three expeditions to Clipperton have collected [[sponge]] specimens, including U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]]'s visit in 1938. Of the 190 specimens collected, 20 species were noted, including nine found only at Clipperton. One of the endemic sponges, collected during the 1938 visit, was named ''Callyspongia roosevelti'' in honor of Roosevelt.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=De Laubenfels |first=Max Walker |date=1939 |title=Sponges collected on the presidential cruise of 1938 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23677/SMC_98_deLaubenfels_1939_15_1-7.pdf |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |location=Baltimore, Maryland |volume=98 |issue=15 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014539/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23677/SMC_98_deLaubenfels_1939_15_1-7.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Quentin |date=2012-08-11 |title=New to Nature no. 80: Callyspongia roosevelti|work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/12/new-to-nature-callyspongia-roosevelti |access-date=2023-04-07 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014539/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/12/new-to-nature-callyspongia-roosevelti |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2009, Steven Robinson, a tropical fish dealer from [[Hayward, California]], traveled to Clipperton to collect [[Clipperton angelfish]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hayward Fish Dealer Facing Prison For Importing Rare Species |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/hayward-fish-dealer-facing-prison-for-importing-rare-species/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402042202/https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/hayward-fish-dealer-facing-prison-for-importing-rare-species/ |archive-date=2 April 2023 |access-date=2023-04-02 |publisher=CBS News |date=22 August 2011}}</ref> Upon his return to the United States, he described the 52 illegally collected fish to federal wildlife authorities as [[king angelfish]],<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Kurhi |first=Eric |date=20 Aug 2011 |title=Fish wholesaler in hot water |volume=137 |page=7 |work=Oakland Tribune |issue=181 |location=Oakland, California |editor-last=Butler |editor-first=David |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123691649/ |access-date=2023-04-01 |quote=There's a value that's created and that's for select customers who want something ugly but rare. |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707144308/https://www.newspapers.com/article/123691649/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |date=2012 |title=United States v. Steven Robinson, No. 11-CR-00513 (N.D. Calif.) |pages=17 |work=Environmental Crimes Section Monthly Bulletin |publisher=United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/enrd/legacy/2015/04/13/jan_2012_508.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402042225/https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/enrd/legacy/2015/04/13/jan_2012_508.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2023}}</ref> not the rarer Clipperton angelfish, which he intended to sell for $10,000.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Friedlander |first1=Alan M. |last2=Giddens |first2=Jonatha |last3=Ballesteros |first3=Enric |last4=Blum |first4=Shmulik |last5=Brown |first5=Eric K. |last6=Caselle |first6=Jennifer E. |last7=Henning |first7=Bradley |last8=Jost |first8=Christian |last9=Salinas-de-León |first9=Pelayo |last10=Sala |first10=Enric |date=2019-07-16 |title=Marine biodiversity from zero to a thousand meters at Clipperton Atoll (Île de La Passion), Tropical Eastern Pacific |journal=[[PeerJ]]|volume=7 |pages=e7279 |doi=10.7717/peerj.7279 |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=6640628 |pmid=31341739 |doi-access=free }}</ref> On 15 December 2011, Robinson was sentenced to 45 days of incarceration, one year of probation, and a $2,000 fine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-12-15 |title=Hayward man sentenced for smuggling rare exotic fish |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/12/15/hayward-man-sentenced-for-smuggling-rare-exotic-fish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402042223/https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/12/15/hayward-man-sentenced-for-smuggling-rare-exotic-fish/ |archive-date=2 April 2023 |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=East Bay Times}}</ref>