Great white sharks face serious welfare threats from targeted fishing, bycatch, finning, and gill nets, while public fear hampers conservation efforts to protect them.
Great white sharks experience real welfare harms despite their fearsome reputation. Shark finning causes particularly acute suffering: finned sharks, still alive, sink to the ocean floor where they drown slowly or are eaten. Entanglement in nets and longlines causes injury and stress over extended periods before death. The slow reproduction of great whites means populations take decades to recover from overfishing. Overcoming the cultural fear narrative that has historically impeded shark conservation is essential for building the public support needed to protect these ecologically vital animals.