🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Deep-sea species are often discovered decades after industrial fishing begins in a region.
Before its formal discovery in 1976, there were no verified fisheries records clearly identifying the megamouth shark. Given the global scale of commercial fishing, this absence underscores how infrequently the species encounters human activity.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Industrial fleets have scoured vast ocean regions for decades, yet a shark larger than most cars avoided classification entirely. That invisibility suggests either extremely low population density or habitat use beyond typical fishing depths.
The absence of historical documentation challenges assumptions that large marine animals inevitably intersect with human industry. In the deep pelagic zone, entire species can remain biologically present yet statistically invisible.
💬 Comments