Shark Stewards Newsletter November 20, 2025
30 -Day Public Comment Ends December 22
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On November 19, the administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), under the leadership of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, announced a sweeping set of proposals to roll back critical protections for our nation’s wildlife. This isn’t just bureaucratic red tape; it is a direct threat to the recovery of the species we love from seabirds to sharks, and fight for every day.
The Threat: Losing the “Blanket of Protection” The most dangerous change is the proposal to eliminate the “Blanket Rule” (Section 4(d)). For decades, this rule ensured that species listed as “Threatened” automatically received the same protections as those listed as “Endangered.”
Under the new proposal: Threatened species would receive zero automatic protection. Instead, the agency would have to draft a specific rule for every single new species to prohibit killing or harming them.
The Result: This creates a “pay-to-play” system where protections are delayed, watered down by economic interests, or never granted at all.
What This Means for Our Sharks We have fought hard to get several species of sharks listed, but listing is only half the battle. Without the protective regulations that come with it, a listing is just a label.
Tope Sharks (The Immediate Victim): We are currently awaiting a listing decision for the Tope Shark (Soupfin Shark) currently under review. If the Tope is listed as “Threatened” under these new rules, it could arguably be caught, killed, and sold without consequence until a separate, years-long bureaucratic process is finished.
Oceanic Whitetip Sharks: While currently listed as threatened, their specific protections are still being finalized. These new rules could allow economic factors (like commercial fisheries profits) to override the scientific necessity of protecting their critical habitat. With less than 5% left, these sharks could go extinct.
Scalloped Hammerheads: The threatened populations of these sharks rely on strict federal oversight to prevent bycatch. Weakening the ESA removes the federal “stick” that forces fisheries to adopt safer gear.
Take Action: 30-Day Public Comment Period Opened November 20
The USFWS has opened a strict 30-day public comment period ending December 22, 2025. They need to hear that Americans will not stand for a watered-down Endangered Species Act. We need you to send a letter to the USFWS today.
Tell them:
Restore the Blanket Rule: Threatened species need immediate protection, not bureaucratic delays.
Science Over Profit: Economic impacts should never outweigh extinction risk when designating critical habitat.
Protect Our Sharks: The Tope, Oceanic Whitetip, and Hammerhead cannot wait for “tailored” rules while they are being fished out of existence.
CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR LETTER OR SUBMIT COMMENTS
A Lesson from the Past: Otters and Whales We’ve seen what the ESA can do when it has teeth.
Southern Sea Otters: Once hunted to near extinction, their population has rebounded because the ESA mandated strict habitat protection and stopped “take” (harassment and killing) immediately upon listing.
California Gray Whales: Their recovery is one of the greatest conservation success stories in history. If the proposed “economic consideration” loopholes had existed then, industry interests might have blocked the very protections that saved these icons from extinction. We cannot let them close the door on the sharks that need the same chance at recovery.
Shark Stewards Director David McGuire filming California Gray Whales (under MX permit)
Save the Whales, Save the Sharks
As an undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara I studied the California Gray Whale in the birthing lagoons of Baja California, MX. Being in the water, and so close to these amazing animals shaped my life and career. Hunted almost to extinction in these very lagoons, these whales numbered less than 3000, but protection under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act brought the population back from the edge of extinction. But a recent “Unusual Mortality Event” associated with food loss and climate change has nearly halved their population. We must remain vigilant and maintain protection under current law, as well as protecting their habitat in our National Marine Sanctuaries. Through our love and collective efforts, we have saved these and other species of whales, seals and otters. Time is short. Please act now to ensure the safety net that saved the whale is still there to save the shark.
Save the Sharks,
David McGuire
Director, Shark Stewards
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