Demographic data compiled by the IUCN Shark SpecialistGroup found suitable information for only 13 species (2.2%) of deep-sea chondrichthyans [73]. rmax for these deep-sea species falls at the lower end of the productivity scale for elasmobranchs, making these among the lowest observed for any species. Popula-tion doubling times suggest recovery following exploitation will take decades to centuries. Moreover, there is a significant decline in the resilience of species with increasing maximum depth [73]. Whereas elasmobranchs are inherently vulnerable to overexploi-tation, deeper dwelling ones are most vulnerable of all.Harrisson’s dogfish (Centrophorus harrissoni, Centrophoridae) illustrates this. An endemic dogfish from Australia, it declined more than 99% from 1976-77 to 1996-1997 in waters of New South Wales, according to fishery-independent trawl surveys [74]. This species occupies a relatively narrow band of the continental slope, and like other Centrophorus species, is believed to be among the most biologically vulnerable of all sharks, with low fecundity (1-2 pups every 1-2 years), high longevity (in some cases at least 46 years) and probable late age at maturity [77]. IUCN now lists Harrison’s dogfish as critically endangered. Unlike many other sharks, its decline was noted by research surveys. This highlights a common pattern around the world: Multi-species fisheries can threaten sharks [78] much faster than regulators act to mitigate their decline.The leafscale gulper shark (Centrophorus squamosus) is
targeted for its liver oil, often as part of multi-species demersal fisheries. It matures late, has only 5-8 pups per year and lives to be 70 years old [79]. In the North Atlantic, landings peaked in 1986 and have declined steadily since then. Further confounding matters are reporting problems: Landings of this species are often aggregated with a closely related species, and over large areas.Little differentiates these two sharks from other deep-sea elasmobranchs except for the availability of catch and demo-graphic data. It is likely that other deep-sea elasmobranchs show similar patterns.