Growth and mortality parameters of fishes constitute the basis of fishery assessments and management. In this study, growth parameters from three time periods ("early", "middle", and "recent") were studied based on sand lance samples collected from 2002 to 2018 in the Yellow Sea. Early period refers to early 2000s, middle period refers to late 2000s, and recent period refers to late 2010s. The results showed that the biological characteristics of sand lance had changed significantly throughout this period. The dominant body length decreased from 130−150 mm in the early period to 80−110 mm in the recent period. Body weight composition changed from a uniform distribution in the early and middle periods to those of small individuals in the recent period. The dominant age group changed from 2-year-old individuals in the early period to individuals born in the current year in the recent period. The of von Bertalanffy growth equations for the early period, middle period, and recent period were 194.2 mm, 179.6 mm, and 161.7 mm, respectively, and the growth rates were 0.31, 0.42, and 0.47 in the early, middle, and recent periods, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the von Bertalanffy growth models (<0.05) between the middle period and recent period. Compared with the previous two periods, the of the recent period was significantly decreased, and the growth rate increased rapidly. The condition factors of sand lance in the spring, summer, and winter of the recent period were decreased compared to the same seasons in the early period. The total mortality rates () of the three periods were 1.14, 2.00, and 0.74, respectively, the fishing development rates () of the three periods were 0.69, 0.78, and 0.32, respectively, and the natural mortality rates () of the three periods were 0.35, 0.44, and 0.50, respectively. Sand lance have been over-exploited since its large-scale development and fish tended to be smaller and younger in recent sampling efforts. Such changes may be caused by overfishing.