Slow-Growth Strategy Makes Pacific Sleeper Sharks Biologically Fragile Giants

Life-history traits strongly influence how quickly shark populations can rebound from exploitation.

A shark that may take decades to reach maturity represents years of survival in harsh deep-sea conditions before reproducing even once.

This biological fragility contrasts sharply with its imposing size, revealing that even a predator longer than a bus can be vulnerable to modern fishing pressures across the North Pacific.