Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of 12-Month Finding on Petitions To List Porbeagle Shark as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

We, the National Marine Fisheries Service, have completed a comprehensive status review under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus) in response to petitions to list this species. Based on the best scientific and commercial information available, including the status review report (Curtis et al., 2016), and taking into account ongoing efforts to protect these species, we have determined that porbeagle sharks do not warrant listing at this time. This review identified two Distinct Population Segments (DPS)-- North Atlantic and Southern Hemisphere--of porbeagle sharks. We conclude that neither is currently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range or likely to become so in the foreseeable future. We also conclude that the species itself is not currently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range or likely to become so in the foreseeable future.