Oceanic Whitetip Shark
Oceanic whitetip shark.
Credit: NOAA Fisheries
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark
Length: Up to 11 feet
Lifespan: Up to 25 years
Threats: Bycatch, Harvest for international trade
Region: New England/Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, West Coast
Oceanic whitetip sharks are large, pelagic sharks found in tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world. They live offshore in deep water, but spend most of their time in the upper part of the water column near the surface. Oceanic whitetip sharks are long-lived, late maturing, and have low to moderate productivity.
The main threat to oceanic whitetip sharks is bycatch in commercial fisheries combined with demand for its fins. They are frequently caught in pelagic longline, purse seine, and gillnet fisheries worldwide and their fins are highly valued in the international trade for shark products. As a result, their populations have declined throughout its global range. In 2018, NOAA Fisheries listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Credit: NOAA Fisheries
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark
Length: Up to 11 feet
Lifespan: Up to 25 years
Threats: Bycatch, Harvest for international trade
Region: New England/Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Islands, Southeast, West Coast
Oceanic whitetip sharks are large, pelagic sharks found in tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world. They live offshore in deep water, but spend most of their time in the upper part of the water column near the surface. Oceanic whitetip sharks are long-lived, late maturing, and have low to moderate productivity.
The main threat to oceanic whitetip sharks is bycatch in commercial fisheries combined with demand for its fins. They are frequently caught in pelagic longline, purse seine, and gillnet fisheries worldwide and their fins are highly valued in the international trade for shark products. As a result, their populations have declined throughout its global range. In 2018, NOAA Fisheries listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.