As a result of the above threats, an unsuccessful application to list this population of "S. apama" as a threatened species under Australian law was made. On February 2, 2011, the Threatened Species Scientific Committee ruled that the species was not eligible for listing, as the affected population was not taxonomically distinct from the rest of the species for the purposes of the Act. Further scientific work has determined the cuttlefish of northern Spencer Gulf to be genetically distinct from other "S. apama" populations in Australian waters.