Endangered SpeciesA branch of The Humanity Project

Marine Life

Oceanic Whitetip Shark

Carcharhinus longimanus

Once among the most abundant large animals on earth, this open-ocean shark has declined by an estimated 95 percent or more, largely as fishery bycatch driven by the fin trade.

Illustration of an oceanic whitetip shark ambassador — stocky grey-brown shark with very long rounded pectoral fins and a rounded dorsal fin, all mottled white at the tips — cruising in sunlit open blue ocean with pilot fish.
Illustrated Species Ambassador — original artwork, not a photograph

Illustrated Species Ambassador

Longwing — Oceanic Whitetip Shark

I'm Longwing, an illustrated ambassador for the oceanic whitetip shark. I live far offshore, where food is scarce and I must cover great distances to find it.

One fact worth knowing
Once among the most abundant large animals on earth, the oceanic whitetip has declined by an estimated 95 percent or more, mostly as fishery bycatch driven by the fin trade.
What I depend on
I depend on warm open-ocean surface waters and on prey scattered across the high seas — and on not encountering longline and purse seine gear.
My greatest threat
My greatest threats are bycatch in longline and purse seine fisheries and the fin trade.
One way you can help
Avoid shark fin products entirely, choose tuna from pole-and-line or FAD-free fisheries certified for low bycatch, and support electronic monitoring on fishing fleets.
Global species at risk →

This ambassador is an original illustration created for this project. It is an educational character, not a documentary image, and its statements follow the sourced record on this page. Artwork and rights record

Why this species matters

This shark went from arguably the most abundant large animal on the planet to critically endangered within living memory, in the open ocean where nobody was watching. It is the strongest reminder that abundance and remoteness are not protection.

If it disappears: The open ocean would lose one of its few apex predators, with poorly understood consequences for a food web that is difficult to study and even harder to restore.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List
Critically EndangeredLast verified 2026-09-08
U.S. Endangered Species Act
ThreatenedListed 2018.Last verified 2026-09-08
CITES
Appendix IIListed in 2013.Last verified 2026-09-08
Regional fisheries bodies
Retention prohibited by most tuna regional fisheries management organizationsLast verified 2026-09-08

Population

No global count exists. Regional analyses indicate declines exceeding 80 to 95 percent from historic baselines, with some ocean basins showing near-complete loss from catch records.

Trend: Decreasing

As reported: IUCN Red List assessment and regional fisheries stock analyses

Source: IUCN Red List; NOAA Fisheries; regional fisheries management organizations

Uncertainty: Trends are inferred from fishery catch rates rather than direct surveys. Catch-rate declines can overstate or understate real change and should be described as estimates.

Historical: Described in the mid-twentieth century as possibly the most abundant large animal on earth over about 100 pounds; it was routinely encountered in the open ocean.

Fragmentation: A wide-ranging oceanic species, but now rare enough that encounters are uncommon in much of its range.

Range and distribution

Historic range: Tropical and subtropical open ocean worldwide, generally in waters above 20°C.

Current range: Same global range, at drastically reduced abundance; some populations, such as around the Bahamas, remain comparatively intact.

Range contraction: Functionally rare across most of its former range.

Regions occupied

  • Tropical Atlantic
  • Indian Ocean
  • Tropical Pacific
  • Bahamas (a relative stronghold)

Habitat

Primary habitat: Open ocean surface waters, usually far from land and above the continental shelf edge.

Breeding habitat: Gives birth to live young in open water.

Feeding habitat: Feeds on bony fish, squid, seabirds, and carrion, patrolling the surface layer.

Habitat dependencies

  • Open-ocean prey availability
  • Freedom from longline and purse seine gear
  • Warm surface waters

Biology and ecology

An apex predator and scavenger in the open ocean, an environment with few large predators and limited food.

Important adaptations: Very long, rounded, white-tipped pectoral fins that allow efficient gliding over vast distances in food-poor open water — the same fins that made it the most sought-after species in the fin trade.

Size
Up to about 11 feet, commonly smaller.
Weight
Up to roughly 370 pounds.
Lifespan
Estimated 20 years or more.
Diet
Bony fish, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, and carrion.
Reproduction
Viviparous — gives birth to live young after roughly a year of gestation.
Offspring
Typically 1 to 15 pups.
Breeding frequency
Roughly every two years.
Age at maturity
Around four to seven years.

Primary threats

  • Bycatch

    Caught incidentally in tuna and swordfish longline and purse seine fisheries throughout the tropics; this is the dominant source of mortality.

  • Wildlife trafficking

    Its large fins are among the most valuable in the shark fin trade, creating an incentive to retain sharks despite prohibitions.

  • Slow reproduction

    Late maturity and small litters mean populations cannot rebound quickly from heavy fishing.

  • Enforcement gaps

    Retention bans exist but at-sea monitoring and observer coverage remain limited in many fleets.

  • Post-release mortality

    Sharks released alive from gear often die afterward from stress and injury.

  • Climate change

    Shifting ocean temperature and productivity alter prey distribution and overlap with fisheries.

Conservation and recovery

Programs and efforts

  • Retention prohibitions adopted by most tuna regional fisheries management organizations
  • CITES Appendix II trade regulation requiring legality and sustainability findings
  • Observer programs and electronic monitoring on longline vessels
  • Circle hook and gear modification research to reduce shark capture
  • Bahamas shark sanctuary protecting one of the healthier remaining populations

Protected areas

  • Bahamas shark sanctuary
  • Various national shark sanctuaries in the Pacific and Caribbean

Legal protections

  • Endangered Species Act
  • CITES Appendix II
  • Regional fisheries retention bans
  • National shark finning prohibitions

Measurable progress

  • The Bahamas population remains relatively healthy under sanctuary protection
  • CITES listing has increased traceability requirements in the fin trade

Continuing challenges

  • Bycatch reduction requires changing global tuna fishing practice
  • Observer coverage is low in many fleets
  • The species crosses many national jurisdictions

How people can help

What individuals can do

  • Avoid shark fin products entirely
  • Choose tuna certified for low bycatch and pole-and-line or FAD-free fisheries
  • Support electronic monitoring requirements on fishing fleets

What communities can do

  • Support national and state shark fin trade bans
  • Back sustainable seafood procurement in institutions

Educational actions

  • Use this species to teach that bycatch, not targeted hunting, drives most marine declines

Habitat support

  • Support high seas marine protected areas and the international high seas biodiversity treaty

Organizations and programs to learn about

  • NOAA Fisheries
  • IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group
  • TRAFFIC
  • regional fisheries management organizations

Educational notes

  • Described in the mid-twentieth century as possibly the most abundant large animal on earth.
  • The long white-tipped fins that make it efficient in open water are also what made it a fin-trade target.

Sources and references