 Regionally, the IUCN has assessed the bignose shark as Near Threatened in the northwestern Atlantic.Though specific data are lacking, it is suspected to have declined there because it is commonly misidentified as the sandbar shark, thus the known decline in sandbar shark numbers resulting from US longline fishing may represent a decline in bignose shark numbers, as well.This species has been assessed as Least Concern in Australian waters, where it faces no significant threats.