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

Document 2026-07294 is a Proposed Rule published by the Department of Commerce in the Federal Register on April 15, 2026. 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. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/15/2026-07294/endangered-and-threatened-species-notice-of-12-month-findings-on-a-petition-to-list-the-tope-shark.

No. Document 2026-07294 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.