Sharks and rays face the most severe population declines of any vertebrate group; welfare and conservation are intertwined in protecting these ecologically vital species.
Shark and ray welfare encompasses both individual suffering during fishing interactions and population-level welfare through conservation of viable populations. Individual sharks experience significant stress during capture that can be fatal even after release; best-practice catch-and-release minimizes in-air handling time and avoids exhaustion. At population scale, the collapse of elasmobranch populations removes critical ecosystem functions and prevents billions of individuals from living natural lives. Conservation investment — marine protected areas, fishing restrictions, demand reduction for shark fin and gill raker products — delivers welfare outcomes for current and future shark populations simultaneously.