Sharks as apex predators maintain reef ecosystem balance, and their removal through overfishing causes cascading effects that harm many other species.
Individual sharks subject to longline fishing experience prolonged stress from hook wounds, exhaustion from fighting gear, and physiological deterioration over hours before being hauled. Discard of non-target sharks after fin removal while still alive causes a slow, drowning death from inability to swim. Shark finning represents one of the most documented cruel fishing practices still occurring at scale globally.