How to Fish endangered fish: the carrot quest
This quest is where many players first get stuck on the way to the pufferfish. Here is what the threads agree on and what they leave open.
An endangered fish is a catch tagged as such: players say you inspect a fish you are holding with F to see it. Needlefish and Bowl fish are reported to count. Hand one to the character by the tree on the third island and you receive a carrot, the bait that summons the pufferfish boss.
What counts as endangered
There is no single fish called "Endangered Fish". In a Steam thread a player explains that you hold a fish and press F, and the prompt says at the bottom whether it is endangered. Other posters in the same thread name the Needlefish and the Bowl fish as ones that count, and one adds that it is random which you get.
A community guide updated for 1.1.3 also tells you to hand a Needlefish to the stranded person for the carrot, which agrees with those threads.
Community report: How to get an endangered fish — Steam discussion, August 2026 ↗Community report: Steam guide “EVERY FISH, BOSS and BAIT [v 1.1.3]” — updated October 3, 2026 ↗How to get one
- Fish with a lure. A thread says the pink bar-of-soap-looking lure is the one to use for this; the Standard Lure is listed for the third island in a guide, though no source we can link says they are the same item.
- Reel in catches until the F prompt shows the endangered tag. Expect it to take a while; one player reported over an hour without luck before getting advice.
- Keep the fish intact. Do not sell, cook or eat it.
Hand it in and get the carrot
A thread about the pufferfish says "third island, you need to give a guy near a tree an endangered fish." Another reply in a second thread says he gives you carrot bait. Deliver the fish and you get the carrot.
One older community guide says island-boss baits are used up every time you cast them, so a failed attempt means finding another endangered fish. We have not verified that, but it is a good reason to prepare before you cast. See the pufferfish guide for what players recommend bringing.
Community report: Pufferfish help — Steam discussion, August 2026 ↗Community report: Puffer Fish Boss? — Steam discussion, August 2026 ↗Endangered versus drip
They are different things. Drip creatures are rare cosmetic variants. A community guide says a creature can be both at once. See Drip creatures, Fishipedia & wishbone.
Community report: Steam guide “EVERY FISH, BOSS and BAIT [v 1.1.3]” — updated October 3, 2026 ↗What we have not checked
We have not caught or handed in an endangered fish ourselves. The quest character's name, whether other fish count, and whether the carrot is consumed on a failed fight are unconfirmed. Send a correction with your version number.