Living 400 Years and Giving Birth at 150: Why Is There a Demand to Kill This Rare Shark?

In the frigid waters of the world, there exists a creature known as the longest-living vertebrate on Earth. The Greenland Shark can live for well over 400 years. However, what makes this creature even more astonishing is its extraordinarily slow life cycle. A female Greenland shark reaches sexual maturity at around 150 years of age, and gestation periods are believed to last well over a decade.

Yet, a controversial proposal to cull large numbers of these rare and slow-growing sharks has sparked global debate among scientists, fishermen, and conservationists alike.

Why Do Fishermen Want to Target These Sharks?

The controversy stems from reports where local fishermen complained that Greenland sharks frequently get entangled in their fishing lines and hooks, destroying expensive gear and impacting their daily catch. Fishermen argued that such disruptions directly threaten their livelihood, leading to proposals that incentivized the removal of these sharks.

Why Conservationists Are Alarmed

Marine biologists and conservation experts have strongly warned against culling the Greenland shark. Because their biological processes—including growth and reproduction—happen at an exceptionally sluggish pace, their populations cannot recover quickly if depleted. The IUCN classifies the Greenland shark as a vulnerable species, making them exceptionally sensitive to over-exploitation and human interference.