Sharks and rays are increasingly kept in public aquaria. Their welfare requirements are poorly standardized and often inadequately met given their biological complexity.
Elasmobranch welfare in aquaria ranges from acceptable for smaller, more tractable species to deeply problematic for large pelagic sharks. Aquaria that have housed great white sharks have consistently reported deaths within weeks to months, suggesting fundamental incompatibility between the species' needs and achievable captive conditions. Touch tank rays experience significant handling stress — elevated cortisol, fin abrasion, and immune compromise — that varies in severity with visitor interaction frequency and management protocols. Welfare assessment for elasmobranchs should evaluate swimming behavior, respiratory function, feeding response, wound healing, and stress indicators. Institutions keeping sharks and rays have a welfare responsibility to species-match their collection to what their facilities can genuinely support.