From Chile to Alaska in the Eastern Pacific, the shearwater can be found primarily on shelf waters within a few hundred meters of the coastline, in shrublands, lowland tropical rainforests, and offshore in the Gulf of Alaska.

In contrast to this vast range, however, the seabird has a very small breeding range. Robinson Crusoe and Santa Clara in the Juan Fernandez Islands, as well as the Chilean Isla Mocha are the only areas in which the species nests.

Rats are thought to feed on chick eggs on the breeding islands, and on Robinson Crusoe the species is further imperiled by predation by feral cats and dogs as well as soil erosion from goats and rabbits. Development and human harvesting of chicks at Isla Mocha also puts the species at risk. Additionally, the shearwater is vulnerable to oil spills, pollution and food availability.

The NACAP recommends an evaluation of the potential impacts from contaminants along the entire range of the species, an examination of the gut contents of salvaged birds from bycatch to determine the level of plastics ingested, assess the interactions between the fishing industry and the species, and petition the governments of Mexico and the United States to assess/re-assess the status of the pink-footed shearwater in each country.