Population
The population size is unknown, but numbers have decreased as much as 99% in some areas since the 1970s. This species is harvested, via Demersal trawling or droplining, for meat and liver oil (squalene). Upper-slope dogfish species are more vulnerable to capture than midslope species, because they are targeted throughout their vertical distribution and most of their local geographic distribution. The low reproductive rate, late age of maturity and long lifespan typical of these sharks means the dumb gulper shark is likely unable to recover quickly after depletion.
Read more about this topic: Dumb Gulper Shark
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