Reef sharks are ecologically critical to coral reef health, but face fishing pressure, fin trade, and declining reef quality that undermine both their welfare and their ecosystem role.
Reef sharks face welfare threats from targeted fishing, bycatch, and reef habitat degradation. Sharks caught by spear fishing or in nets experience acute stress, injury, and death. Hooks used in targeted shark fishing cause pain and internal injury. The fin trade involves removing fins and returning sharks to water alive but unable to swim, causing drowning death. Reef sharks inhabit specific territories and are highly susceptible to local depletion. Behavioral studies show individual reef sharks have home ranges and behavioral patterns that are disrupted by fishing pressure. Marine protected areas that prohibit fishing allow shark populations to recover to functional densities within years. The welfare of individual reef sharks improves dramatically in protected areas as natural behaviors including prey pursuit and territory maintenance can occur without fishing pressure.