Sharks are frequently caught as bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries, with significant welfare consequences from prolonged hooking to drowning.
Sharks caught on longline hooks experience prolonged stress, exhaustion, and oxygen deprivation as they struggle to maintain ram ventilation while restrained. Hook wounds cause tissue damage and infection. The extended duration of suffering before hauling represents a major welfare concern. Discarded bycatch sharks may be too exhausted to survive even when released. Drowning in trawl nets causes slower death than in bony fish due to sharks' different respiratory physiology.