Species of Concern (SOC) include:

• Species for which there are concerns regarding danger of extinction or risk of becoming endangered but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list
• Species for which an ESA biological status review has determined that listing is not warranted but for which significant concerns or uncertainties remain
• Species that are undergoing formal status reviews

The objectives of designating SOC are to:

• Identify species potentially at risk
• Increase public awareness about those species
• Identify data deficiencies and uncertainties in species’ status and threats
• Stimulate cooperative research efforts to obtain the information necessary to evaluate species status and threats
• Foster voluntary efforts to conserve the species before listing becomes warranted

Factors for identifying SOC include:

Demographic and diversity vulnerability

• Abundance and productivity: magnitude of decline, natural rarity, and endemism
• Distribution: population connectivity, limited geographic range, and endemism
• Life-history characteristics: vulnerable life-history strategies, resilience to environmental variability and catastrophes, or the loss of unique life-history traits

Threats

• Extraction
• Habitat degradation/loss
• Disease and predation
• Other natural or man-made factors for decline

Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax)

• The National Marine Fisheries Service - Proactive Conservation Program Species of Concern in the Northeast Region
• Annual Reports
  • FY 2008
  • FY 2007
• Species of Concern Proactive Conservation Program Brochure
• Population indices of rainbow smelt spawning runs in Massachusetts
  • Final Report
• Population indices of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) spawning runs in Massachusetts
  • Progress Report

Species of Concern in NMFS Northeast Region

• Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
• Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus)
• Sand Tiger Shark (Carcharias taurus)
• Thorny Skate (Amblyraja radiata)
• Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax)
• Cusk (Brosme brosme)
• Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas lupus)
• Atlantic Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
• Porbeagle Shark (Lamna nasus)
• River Herring (Alewife - Alosa pseudoharengus & Blueback Herring - Alosa aestivalis)

Species Recently Removed from the SOC List

Barndoor skate has been removed from the Species of Concern (SOC) list because recent research has shown that there has been an increase in abundance, length frequencies, and known distribution, as well as a decrease in mortality in areas where barndoor skates are present in high concentrations. Furthermore, increased knowledge on the life history characteristics of barndoor skates and better methodologies to assess its response to exploitation have increased our understanding of the species and its resilience. Consequently, the designation of the species as a SOC is no longer warranted.

• Barndoor Skate (Dipturus laevis)

NOAA Fisheries Funding Opportunities

The Proactive Species Conservation Grant Program is an opportunity to garner funds to support the development and implementation of conservation plans for Species of Concern. For more information, please click here.

List of NOAA Fisheries Projects Funded for Species of Concern