Proactive Conservation Program: Species of Concern
Species of Concern List | Grants and Technical Resources/LinksSpecies of Concern are those species about which we have some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We wish to draw proactive attention and conservation action to these species. "Species of concern" status does not carry any procedural or substantive protections under the ESA.
Species of Concern List
The Species of Concern list:
- Identifies species potentially at risk
- Identifies data deficiencies and uncertainties in species' status and threats
- Increases public awareness about those species
- Stimulates cooperative research efforts to obtain the information necessary to evaluate species status and threats
- Fosters voluntary efforts to conserve the species before listing becomes warranted
Fact sheets for each species are provided on the links below. Note: Species of concern can also be "candidate species".
Species | Candidate | Area of Concern |
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Yes | Gulf of Mexico-AL, FL, anadromous |
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Atlantic-Newfoundland to North Carolina (Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Aug 2013, 78 FR 48943) |
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Western Atlantic, Eastern Atlantic, and Mediterranean stocks | |
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Atlantic-Labrador to southern New England | |
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Atlantic-Georges Bank and western Gulf of Maine (former "candidate species" - 2009) |
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Pacific-Eastern North Pacific population | |
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Atlantic-Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to St. John's River, FL (Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Aug 2013, 78 FR 48943) |
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Pacific-Southern DPS (Northern CA to Mexico)* | |
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Indo-Pacific-Red Sea and East Africa to the Line Islands and Samoa; north to Yaeyama, south to the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia; Paulau, Caroline, Mariana in Micronesia; in U.S. it occurs in Guam, American Samoa, CNMI and the Pacific Remote Island Areas (Wake Islands). (Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Nov 2012, 77 FR 66799). | |
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Pacific-Central Valley, fall and late fall-run ESU | |
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Pacific-Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia ESU; anadromous. | |
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Pacific-Central OR to central Baja California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico | |
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Yes | Atlantic-Gulf of Maine (Candidate species as of 03/09/2007 [pdf]; 72 FR 10710) |
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Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico; Pacific (Northwest Atlantic DPS Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Dec 2014, 79 FR 74684) | |
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Pacific- Point Concepcion, CA to Bahia de Magdalena, Gulf of CA, Mexico | |
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Pacific-northern DPS* (including coastal spawning populations from the Eel River north, to the Klamath rivers); anadromous | |
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Pacific- Hawaii (Kaneohe Bay, Midway Atoll, Maro Reef) (Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Sept 2014, 79 FR 53852) |
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Indo-Pacific-Red Sea to the Tuamotus, north to the Ryukyus, east to Wake Islands, south to New Caledonia, throughout Micronesia; includes U.S. territories of Guam and American Samoa (Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Sept 2014, 79 FR 57875) |
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Pacific- Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | |
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Atlantic- West Indies, Bermuda, NC, FL, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean | |
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Atlantic-Florida Keys | |
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Atlantic-FL, estuarine | |
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Atlantic-NC southward to Gulf of Mexico (Proposed for listing, Sept 2014, 79 FR 51929) |
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Atlantic-Florida (Indian River Lagoon) | |
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Salish Sea population, WA, Canada | |
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Pacific-Georgia Basin DPS | |
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Pacific- Point Concepcion, CA to Bahia de Tortuga, Gulf of CA, Mexico | |
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Pacific- Sitka Island, Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. (Not warranted for listing 12-month finding, Dec 2014, 79 FR 77998). | |
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Atlantic-Labrador to NJ; anadromous | |
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North Pacific Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean* | |
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Atlantic; Gulf of Mexico | |
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Atlantic-NC to Gulf of Mexico (Negative 90-day finding for ESA-Listing; 77 FR 25687) |
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Pacific-OR Coast ESU; anadromous | |
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Atlantic-FL, Antilles and Caribbean from Costa Rica to Guyana | |
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Yes | Atlantic-West Greenland to NY |
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Atlantic-MA southward to Gulf of Mexico (Negative 90-Day Finding of Petition to List Warsaw Grouper; 75 FR 59690) |
* NMFS reviewed the status of this species as a result of a petition to list it under the Endangered Species Act. While ESA listing was determined to not be warranted, NMFS retained this species on the Species of Concern list.
Former Species of Concern(SOC)
The following species were removed from Species of Concern list because they were either listed under the Endangered Species Act(ESA) or concerned about their status were removed because of new information and completion of a Species of Concern status report.
Species of Concern |
Years |
Current Status |
|
1997-2007 |
*Endangered - Gulf of Maine DPS; (74 FR 29344 [pdf], 06/19/2009) |
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1988*-2012 *formally 1998 |
*5 DPSs listed: **Endangered: -New York Bight -Chesapeake Bay -Carolina -South Atlantic **Threatened: -Gulf of Maine (Southeast DPSs: 77 FR 5914[pdf], 02/06/2012; Northeast DPSs: 77 FR 5880, 02/06/2012) |
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1999-2010 | Removed from Species of Concern list on 02/02/2010 |
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1988-2008 | *Endangered - Cook Inlet DPS (73 FR 62919 [pdf], 10/22/2008) |
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1999-2009 | *Endangered (74 FR 1937 [pdf], 01/14/2009) |
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1999-2011 | *Endangered (76 FR 40822 [pdf]; 07/12/2011) |
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1997-2010 | *Decision Memo [pdf] (08/02/2010) |
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2006-2016 | Removed from Species of Concern list on 08/17/2016 *Not warranted for ESA listing (81 FR 50463, 08/01/2016) |
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1991-2011 | *Decision Memo [pdf] (09/02/2011) * 90-day finding on petition to list [pdf] (76 FR 49412; 08/10/2011) |
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2002-2008 | *Negative 90-day finding on petitions to list (78 FR 6299, 01/30/2013) *Decision Memo [pdf] (11/06/2008) *Removal Request [pdf] (03/26/2008) *Not warranted for ESA listing[pdf] (73 FR 843, 01/04/2008) |
Grants
The Proactive Species Conservation Grant Program supports voluntary conservation efforts designed to conserve marine and anadromous species before listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) becomes necessary. Through this grant program, NMFS will provide Federal assistance, in the form of grants or cooperative agreements, to support conservation efforts for species it has identified as Species of Concern (SOC).
A list of previously funded projects can be found in the Proactive Species Conservation Grants Archive.
Information on other grant opportunities offered by Office of Protected resources is also available.
Reports
- FY 2010 Annual Report [pdf] * Reissued October 1, 2012
- FY 2009 Annual Report [pdf]
- FY 2008 Annual Report [pdf]
- FY 2007 Annual Report [pdf]
- Program brochure [pdf]
Updated: August 22, 2016