How to Fish Endangered Fish – Tourist & Carrot Quest Guide

Updated Aug 23, 2026 · quest mechanics from community playtesting (Whisper of the House guide, snapshot Aug 21, 2026); boss-chain facts cross-checked against our boss guide

How do you catch an endangered fish in How to Fish? You do not need one specific species. The Island 3 Tourist asks for any creature tagged Endangered Species — catch something unfamiliar, inspect it, and if the status shows Endangered Species, keep it and hand it over. The reward, a Carrot, is what triggers the Pufferfish boss fight.

What the Tourist actually wants

On Island 3 you meet the Tourist, who warns about a scary creature in the water. He has bait that helps with that problem, but he wants something in return first: an endangered creature.

The trap is reading this as "find one exact rare fish." It is not a species hunt. The game flags certain catches with an Endangered Species status, and any catch carrying that tag satisfies the request. Two players can complete the quest with different creatures — the status is the reliable check, not the name.

How to find one: fish → inspect → check the status

• Catch something unfamiliar around the island waters.
• Inspect it before cooking or selling — the confirmation you want is the Endangered Species label on the catch.
• See the status? Stop fishing and return to the Tourist. No status? Keep fishing.

Needlefish is the species most often mentioned for this quest, and it works — but only if its inspection confirms the endangered status. Do not turn the quest into "find a Needlefish or fail"; the broader requirement is simply "bring an endangered creature."

Step-by-step

1. Reach Island 3 and talk to the Tourist to start the request.
2. Fish until a catch shows Endangered Species status when inspected.
3. Hand the endangered creature to the Tourist — you receive the Carrot.
4. The Carrot becomes the boss bait that triggers the Pufferfish fight.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Don't hunt for one named fish. More than one creature can carry the endangered tag.
• Don't look for an "Endangered Bait." No special lure is needed — it is a catch-status check, not a bait check.
• Don't spend on boss lures or weapon upgrades while this quest is open. The Tourist's request is a creature-identification problem; buying gear will not finish it.
• Judge the catch by its label, not how rare it looks or whether it is a Drip variant.

After the Carrot: the Pufferfish fight

With the Carrot in hand you can start the Pufferfish encounter. The fight itself favors terrain control over weapon spending: keep trees between you and the boss to interrupt its direct approach, shoot during the opening it creates, and reposition before it closes. See our Pufferfish boss guide for the full loop, the later phase, the Pufferfish Tail drop, and the Island 4 hand-in.

This quest is also tied to the Vacation achievement (help the tourist swim on his vacation, 28.1% unlock rate) — part of the same Island 3 chain. Full list on our achievements page.

Sources: quest mechanics and status-check method from the community guide "How to Fish Endangered Fish: Tourist & Carrot Guide" (Whisper of the House, Aug 21, 2026 snapshot); Pufferfish trigger chain from community boss coverage cross-checked with our launch-week research. We label community-derived mechanics clearly — if a future patch changes the quest, we will update this page.