Reef sharks play critical roles in coral reef ecosystems but face severe pressure from overfishing, finning, and habitat degradation, with significant welfare implications for individual animals.
The welfare implications of shark fishing are severe. Finning, which involves cutting off fins and discarding live sharks at sea, causes animals to die slowly by drowning or predation over hours or days. Longline fisheries catch vast numbers of sharks as bycatch, many of which die after extended time on lines or are discarded dying. Even sharks that survive capture and release suffer physiological stress that can affect their long-term health and survival. The slow reproductive rates of many shark species mean that populations are depleted over decades, with cumulative suffering across millions of individuals.