Status Review Report for the Dusky Sea Snake (Aipysurus fuscus)
August 01, 2014
The August 2014 status review report conducted in response to a petition to list to list 81 marine species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
This report was produced in response to a petition received from WildEarth Guardians on July 15, 2013, to list 81 marine species as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Three of the petitioned species were sea snakes. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) evaluated the petition to determine whether the petitioner provided substantial information as required by the ESA to list these species. On November 6, 2013, NMFS announced in the Federal Register that the petition did present substantial information that listing may be warranted for one of the three sea snakes, Aipysurus fuscus, commonly referred to as the dusky sea snake; and NMFS requested information on this species from the public (78 FR 66675). Subsequently, NMFS initiated a status review of this species, which I document in this report. This draft report summarizes available data and information on the dusky sea snake and presents an evaluation of the species’ status and extinction risk.