In place:
'Deepwater nurse sharks (Odontaspis ferox)' are protected under the New Zealand Wildlife Act 1953 making it illegal to hunt, kill or harm deepwater nurse sharks within New Zealand's territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone; trade in teeth, jaws and fins is also illegal (NZ Dept of Conservation 2015). This protection includes waters around the Kermadec Islands.

Because the numbers of Sand Tiger (Grey Nurse) Sharks (Carcharias taurus) had been seriously depleted along the New South Wales (NSW) coast of Australia by indiscriminate spearfishing, and by some commercial harvesting, that species was protected in 1984 (Pollard et al. 1996). To avoid any mis-identification or claims of confusion with the similar Smalltooth Sand Tiger, both species were included on the NSW protected species list. Despite this legal protection, compliance is difficult to enforce and carcasses of juvenile Smalltooth Sand Tigers are sometimes marketed simply as 'shark'. However, even if they or larger adults were returned to the sea intact, these sharks are unlikely to survive the trauma of trawl capture from deepwater. The species is likely to occur in some protected areas of the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network.

Located some 506 km off the coast of Colombia, the Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary includes Malpelo island (350 ha) and the surrounding marine environment (857,150 ha). This vast marine park, the largest no-fishing zone in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, provides a critical habitat for internationally threatened marine species, including the Smalltooth Sand Tiger.

At least three countries protect the Smalltooth Sand Tiger within the Mediterranean Sea. They are Spain (protected off its Mediterranean coast; see Nickel 2012), Malta (Anon. 2013), and Croatia where 'within waters under Croation jurisdiction, the Smalltooth Sandtiger Shark is proclaimed as a strictly protected species' (http://www.ronjenjehrvatska.com/en/about_croatia/62-ch-0).

Recommended:
At present this species has not been protected from commercial fishing in any subequatorial African country, due to the fact that it has been observed so rarely and no records have been recorded from any commercial vessel. Development of bycatch mitigation measures such as the use of trawl exclusion devices should be undertaken in relevant fisheries. Although the distribution and status of the population in subequatorial Africa is unknown, the apparent rarity and vulnerability of the Smalltooth Sand Tiger means that should any aggregation sites be found, stringent protection would be wise.

Apart from its protection in waters outlined above, there are no specific protection measures in place for the Mediterranean, despite its status there (regionally assessed as Critically Endangered). The protection of favoured coastal habitats and more detailed monitoring of catches within Mediterranean fisheries should be priorities. Conservation of frequented sites as a dive tourism attraction could provide an incentive for local protection, as for well-known Sand Tiger (C. taurus) habitats in Australia and South Africa. There is now more evidence that coastal locations are frequented by mature Smalltooth Sand Tigers on a repetitive seasonal basis, possibly for reproduction. Where identified, these sites deserve stringent protection. Community-based dive observations or monitoring at shallow aggregation sites may be of use in obtaining information on its biology and knowledge of important habitats in shallow waters.

Overall, further study is needed to accurately determine the distributional range, abundance and biology (including possible migrations, sex ratios, fecundity, genetic connectivity, etc.) of this species. Any dead specimens landed by commercial fishing operations should be retained and delivered to the nearest relevant research organisation, so that more biological and genetic information can be obtained.