OAKLAND, Calif.— The National Marine Fisheries Service today announced it will consider giving Endangered Species Act protection to the chambered nautilus, an ocean mollusk threatened with extinction due to overharvest for the international shell trade. In response to a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Fisheries Service issued a finding that endangered species protection may be warranted for this iconic animal, whose unique, spiraling shell has made it a popular commodity for collectors in the United States and Europe. Over the past 16 years, nearly 1.7 million nautilus shell products were imported into the United States.
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