This pelagic species occurs throughout UAE waters, but may be less common there due to its preference for deeper waters such as areas off Iran. It is targeted by commercial fisheries that operate throughout the Indian Ocean, including the Gulf and Sea of Oman, and the Indian Ocean is considered a single stock by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). According to the 2018 IOTC stock assessment, this species is overfished with overfishing occurring due to unsustainable fishing pressure. A recent assessment conducted off Iran also reported it as overfished. Catch has been declining since 2012, or over the past five years, but effort data are largely unavailable. In addition, the lack of life history studies prevents an estimation of generation length at this time. Conservation measures are likely insufficient to reduce fishing effort. Due to the lack of population and life history data, and acknowledging the ongoing major threat from overfishing across the Indian Ocean and in Iran, this species is listed as Data Deficient in the UAE. It is recommended to improve fisheries monitoring and determine generation length, specifically age at first maturity.