Petition to list the Common Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus) under the U.S. Endangered Species Act either worldwide or as one or more distinct population segments

Abstract

Petitioner Friends of Animals requests the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to list the common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) as “threatened” or “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531- 1544. We request that NMFS list the species throughout its entire range under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and designate critical habitat for the species in U.S. waters. The common thresher shark is a pelagic species, inhabiting both oceanic and coastal waters, and can be found in both temperate and subtropical seas worldwide. Gervelis 2013, Exhibit 10 at 1535. All members of the genus Alopias, including the common thresher shark, are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List due to their declining populations. Gervelis 2013, Exhibit 10.