Endangered and Threatened Species; Notice of 12-Month Findings on a Petition To List the Tope Shark as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act and Proposed Listing of Two Distinct Population Segments of Tope Shark as Threatened

What it does

We, NMFS, have completed a comprehensive status review of the tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) in response to a petition to list the species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. After reviewing the best scientific and commercial data available, we have determined that this species is comprised of six distinct population segments (DPSs) and that two, the Southern (So.) Africa and Southwest (SW) Atlantic DPSs, are likely to become in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges in the foreseeable future. Therefore, we propose to list the So. Africa and SW Atlantic DPSs as threatened species under the ESA. We have also determined that the remaining four DPSs--the Northeast (NE) Atlantic, NE Pacific, SW Pacific, and Southeast (SE) Pacific DPSs--do not meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species under section 4(a) of the ESA and therefore do not warrant listing under the ESA. We solicit information to inform the final listing determinations.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What it would change

1 part of Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

50 CFR 223

What happens next and when

Comments on this proposed rule must be received by June 15, 2026. Public hearing requests must be made by June 1, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket NOAA-NMFS-2022-0048 on Regulations.gov
• Title 50 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register