Sharks face severe welfare threats from targeted fisheries, bycatch, and captivity — and evidence suggests they can experience pain and stress.
Sharks caught in nets or on longlines experience significant physiological stress, exhaustion, and injury. Finning causes severe suffering before death. Even sharks that are released alive after capture show elevated stress hormones and reduced survival. In captivity, large sharks like great whites rarely survive and show stereotypic pacing behaviour. The precautionary principle demands we treat sharks as sentient beings capable of suffering.