Silvertips are caught by commercial and artisan fisheries across their range using longlines, gillnets, and trawls, both intentionally and as bycatch. Their fins are highly valued for shark fin soup and are sold on the export market, along with their skin and cartilage.
This species is susceptible to overfishing (like almost all sharks are), due to its slow reproductive rate and tendency to stay in a certain area. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed silvertip sharks as Near Threatened, and noted that they may be approaching the criteria for Vulnerable.