 Because of its low reproductive rate and historically documented declines in areas such as the Caribbean, the night shark has been assessed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the American Fisheries Society.A population assessment has indicated that this species is secure in the waters off the United States, but this may not be true elsewhere.The first scientific description of the night shark was published by Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey in 1868, as part of a series of papers entitled "Repertorio fisico-natural de la isla de Cuba".