Checking Meaning

Today we were discussing climate change, using authentic text (eg, newspaper articles) rather than a course book. This is in preparation for an upcoming collegiate I-want-to-be-an-interpreter final exam.

Me: And can you give me an example of an "endangered species?"

She: Ummm ... fish?

Me: Okay. What specific kind of fish?

She: Sea fish?

This, I can assure you, was not due to a lack of English-language skills. I think she might have relatives in South Carolina.