The Longfin Mako is unlikely to be able to withstand even moderate levels of fishing pressure, hence reduction in fishing effort, implementation of catch limits, and introduction of handling standards for incidental capture and release would benefit the species. Effective conservation will require international cooperation.

The Longfin Mako is listed as a highly migratory species under the 1995 United Nations Agreement on the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (UNFSA). The Agreement specifically requires coastal States and fishing States to cooperate and adopt measures to ensure the conservation of these listed species. To date, there is little progress in this regard (see United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for further details). Also of relevance is the FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks), which specifically recommends that Regional Fisheries Organisations (RFO) carry out regular shark population assessments and that member States cooperate on joint and regional shark management plans. This is of particular importance for pelagic sharks such as the Longfin Mako whose stocks are exploited by more than one State on the high seas. To date, only three RFOs require their members and cooperating non-members to adopt National Plans Of Action (Fischer et al. 2012), but do not have their own specific shark plans. Shark measures adopted by RFOs so far vary from binding recommendations or resolutions to non-binding measures and include shark finning measures, catch and gear regulations, prohibited species, area closures, reporting requirements, and research programs (Fischer et al. 2012). In all but one area covered by regional fishery bodies there are internationally binding shark measures in place for high seas fisheries (Fischer et al. 2012) but none of the RFOs have taken steps to conserve the Longfin Mako.

In 2013, the European Union (EU) banned the removal of shark fins on board vessels through Regulation No. 605/2013, in line with advice from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission’s Shark Specialist Group and other shark fishery experts, in order to enhance enforcement of the 2003 EU ban on shark finning (Regulation No. 1185/2003) and facilitate improved shark fishery data collection.

The Longfin Mako is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in the Appendix. The convention requires countries to collaborate to conserve shared populations. The species has also been covered under the CMS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Migratory Sharks since 2010 and an accompanying Conservation Plan for MoU listed sharks was established in 2012; though no species-specific, regional plans or measures have resulted from this listing to date.

Parties to the Barcelona Convention agreed in 2012 that the Longfin Mako - listed in Annex II of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean Sea, which includes Recommendation GFCM/36/2012/1 - cannot be retained on board, trans-shipped, landed, transferred, stored, sold, displayed or offered for sale, and must be released unharmed and alive, to the extent possible.

Further research should be conducted on the population size and trend of the species.