Wild Hammerhead Shark Welfare: Finning and Deep-Sea Challenges

Hammerhead sharks are among the most threatened shark species globally. Finning and bycatch cause significant welfare harm and population decline.

Key Facts

All three main hammerhead species are classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered
Hammerheads are among the most commonly finned sharks globally
Their distinctive cephalofoil (hammer) gives them enhanced sensory capabilities
They are schooling fish — mass mortality events from finning disrupt social structures
Hammerheads are highly susceptible to stress during capture, dying quickly from exhaustion

Welfare Considerations

Hammerhead shark welfare is threatened primarily by shark finning — the removal of fins from live sharks that are then discarded at sea to drown. Hammerheads are among the most susceptible sharks to capture stress, dying rapidly when removed from water. Finning causes drowning — a prolonged death for a fish unable to move water over its gills. The schooling behavior of scalloped hammerheads means that fishing pressure can concentrate on aggregations, removing large numbers simultaneously. Requiring sharks to be landed whole — already law in many jurisdictions — eliminates finning while allowing regulated fishing to continue.

What You Can Do

Support legislation requiring sharks to be landed whole in fishing jurisdictions
Avoid restaurants serving shark fin soup
Support marine protected areas covering hammerhead aggregation sites
Donate to shark conservation organizations monitoring and protecting hammerhead populations