Computer models show that when a population of animals faces a small amount of stress, like a little bit of fishing or disease, it might bounce back even stronger than before, but this is just a math idea—not proven in real animals.

For a population to bounce back stronger after a small shock, the model says it needs to grow fast, the shock must be weak, and there must be enough individuals left to start recovering.

The model says whether a population bounces back too much depends on how fast it naturally grows and how strong the stress is—too much stress kills it, too little does nothing.