The harm inflicted by cookiecutter sharks on fishing nets and economically important species may have a minor negative effect on commercial fisheries. The shark itself is too small to be of value, and is only infrequently taken, as bycatch, on pelagic longlines and in midwater trawls and plankton nets. The lack of significant population threats, coupled with a worldwide distribution, has led the IUCN to assess the cookiecutter shark as of least concern. In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the cookiecutter shark as "Not Threatened" with the qualifier "Secure Overseas" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.
