Scalloped Hammerhead Shark 5-Year Review
May 14, 2020
A 5-year review is a periodic analysis of a species’ status conducted to ensure that the listing classification of a species as threatened or endangered on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants is accurate.
Under section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act, we are required to conduct a review of all listed species at least once every 5 years to assess whether the current listing status remains accurate. Four Distinct Population Segments (DPSs) of scalloped hammerhead sharks were listed under the ESA in 2014: endangered Eastern Atlantic DPS, endangered Eastern Pacific DPS, threatened Central and Southwest Atlantic DPS, and threatened Indo-West Pacific DPS. In 2019, we initiated the 5-year review, which was led by the NMFS Office of Protected Resources with input from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, NMFS regional offices, and science centers. The 5-year review is based on the best available data through January 2020. We concluded that no change to the listing status of the four DPSs is warranted at this time.