Genetic analysis suggests that silky sharks in the eastern Pacific Ocean should be assessed and managed seperately from the western Pacific population. There is some evidence to suggest a northern and southern population in the Pacific Ocean but this is still uncertain (Aires-da-Silva et al. 2015).

The most recent information available suggests that there are two stocks of silky shark in the Eastern Pacific Ocean separated along the equator: northern including Galapagos Islands, and southern. However, genetic and tagging data is still limited so this is accepted as a provisional structure while further information is being collected and analyzed (IATTC, 2012).