In response to two petitions to list the species as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act NOAA has decided not to go for status review of porbeagle shark. In January 2010, the Wild Earth Guardians and the Humane Society of the United States petitioned NOAA to list the porbeagle shark as an endangered species under the ESA.
According to NOAA the information in the petitions indicates that the populations of porbeagle shark are stable or increasing globally, and that recreational and commercial fishing protections for the shark are increasing. On the contrary NOAA Fisheries Services had supported a porbeagle to Appendix II through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to monitor commercial trade of the species.
Jim Lecky, director for the NOAA Fisheries Service protected resources division, said that the criteria used to list a species for protection under the ESA are different from those used to add a species to CITES Appendix II. NOAA’s Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving nation’s living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement.
