Hammerhead sharks are among the most recognisable ocean predators, yet they are critically threatened by the fin trade, bycatch, and longline fishing with significant welfare implications.
Hammerheads are particularly physiologically sensitive to capture stress. They deplete oxygen reserves rapidly on longlines and suffer severe lactic acid buildup. Research shows that even briefly hooked hammerheads often die before or shortly after release. Their schooling behaviour means that a single fishing event can capture many individuals simultaneously, multiplying welfare harm. Their near-extinction in heavily fished areas makes each individual loss also a conservation emergency.