Oceanic Whitetip Shark Classified As Threatened

Oceanic Whitetip Shark with Pilot Fish - Photo: By The original uploader was OldakQuill at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The federal government says the oceanic whitetip shark will be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act to help the species recover. The shark lives along the East Coast of the United States, off southern California and in international waters. Conservation group Defenders of Wildlife called on the government to list the species.

The oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), also known as Brown Milbert's sand bar shark, brown shark, nigano shark, oceanic white-tipped whaler, and silvertip shark, is a large pelagic requiem shark inhabiting tropical and warm temperate seas. Its stocky body is most notable for its long, white-tipped, rounded fins. Scientists say the sharks have declined by 80 to 90 percent in the Pacific Ocean since the 1990s and they have fallen 50 percent to 85 percent in the Atlantic Ocean since the 1950s.

Conservationists blame commercial fishing and demand for their fins. Their large fins are highly valued as the chief ingredient of shark fin soup, and as with other shark species, the whitetip faces mounting fishing pressure throughout its range.

This slow-moving but aggressive fish dominates feeding frenzies, and is a danger to shipwreck or air crash survivors.