 The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the milk shark under Least Concern; despite being heavily fished, it has a wide distribution and remains fairly common.The reproductive characteristics of this species suggests it is capable of withstanding a somewhat high level of exploitation, though not as much as the grey sharpnose shark ("R. oligolinx") or Australian sharpnose shark ("R. taylori").In the 1980s and early 1990s, stock assessments of the milk shark off India's Veraval coast concluded catches by gillnet and trawl fisheries were below the maximum sustainable level.