February 5, 2017 by Patrick
Whittle
The oceanic whitetip shark's
declining status in the wild warrants listing as threatened under the
Endangered Species Act, an arm of the federal government has determined.
The shark is found around the
world, mostly in open water, and the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife
called on the government to list the species. The listing would be the most
widespread shark listing in the U.S. to date.
The National Marine Fisheries
Service said in a document published in the Federal Register in December that the
sharks are
indeed likely to become endangered in all or at least a significant portion of
their range "within the foreseeable future."
Threats to the sharks include
fishing pressure all over the world, as their fins are prized in Asian markets
for use in soup. The sharks have declined by 80 to 90 percent in the Pacific
Ocean since the 1990s, and 50 percent to 85 percent in the Atlantic Ocean since
the 1950s, said Chelsey Young, a natural resource management specialist for the
fisheries service.
"The oceanic whitetip has
very large pectoral fins, and so they have fetched a high price on the
international market in Asia," Young said. "It incentivized the fin
trade."
The fisheries service is
collecting public comments about the shark's status until March and is expected
to make a final decision in November. Listing the species as threatened would
afford it protections aimed at recovery.
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