A small shark that inhabits the Gulf of Mexico will not receive protection under the Endangered Species Act, NOAA Fisheries announced Monday.
The smalltail shark, which grows up to 5 feet in length and is known in different countries as a cazón or toyo, lives in continental shelf waters along the western Atlantic Ocean from coastal Mississippi to São Paulo, Brazil. The sharks are likely “extremely rare” in U.S. waters, according to the agency.
The sharks’ declining population is likely linked to overfishing, including through the use of unmonitored gillnets and industrial shrimp trawling, NOAA Fisheries said in a Federal Register notice Monday.
The analysis noted there is “substantial uncertainty” about the shark’s population declines, which led the agency to decline to grant protections. In its northern locales in the Gulf, records of the shark are “too sparse to be conclusive regarding any trend,” the notice said.
