Shark Welfare: Understanding Elasmobranchs in Fisheries and Captivity

Sharks face welfare challenges from commercial fishing, finning, and captivity, while scientific understanding of shark sensory experience and cognition continues to develop.

Key Facts

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed annually by fishing, including by-catch and targeted fishing for fins
Shark finning — removing fins and discarding the still-living body — is banned in many jurisdictions but continues illegally
Sharks have complex sensory systems including electroreception that detects electromagnetic fields at very low intensities
Captive shark welfare is a challenge — many species require large swimming volumes and natural hunting opportunities
Some shark species including great whites have resisted all captivity attempts, dying within days to weeks of capture
Long-distance migration patterns of many shark species mean they experience wide variation in environmental conditions

Welfare Considerations

Shark welfare encompasses both the acute suffering involved in capture and finning and the systemic welfare concerns of captive sharks denied natural behavioral expression. Shark finning causes protracted suffering as animals drown or bleed out after fin removal. By-catch of sharks on longlines causes extended suffering before death or release. The sentience of sharks — while less studied than mammals — is supported by evidence of pain responses, complex sensory processing, and behavioral indicators of stress in captive individuals. Aquarium welfare for sharks varies enormously, from species that adapt to managed care to those like great white sharks that cannot survive captivity. Welfare considerations argue against exhibition of species for whom captivity is incompatible with survival.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood from fisheries certified to minimize shark by-catch and that prohibit shark finning
Oppose shark fin consumption and support campaigns to end the shark fin trade globally
Support marine protected areas that provide refuge from fishing pressure for shark populations
Advocate against exhibition of shark species known to be unable to thrive in captive environments
Support shark research programs that improve understanding of shark cognition, pain processing, and welfare needs