Sharks are caught as bycatch in tuna longline and purse seine fisheries at rates that threaten many species and cause significant individual suffering.
Sharks caught on longlines and in nets experience prolonged distress before death — struggling against lines, exhaustion, oxygen deprivation and slow drowning. Given evidence for pain perception in elasmobranchs, this represents significant suffering at enormous scale. Shark finning adds additional suffering through the practice of removing fins while animals are alive.