It has been generally stated that deepwater fishes cannot sustain high levels of exploitation because of their characteristic slow growth, longevity and low reproductive output. However deepwater fish species display a wide variety of life-history strategies, occupying diverse positions along the K-r continuum. Many teleosts display intermediate or conservative life-history characteristics, but the squalid sharks are more stringent K-strategists. Data were used in life-history analyses to assess thesustainability of these mixed-species deepwater fisheries. While there may be scope for compensatory changes in fecundity such scope is likely to be limited, especially for sharks.
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