Sharks face welfare threats from finning practices, bycatch mortality, and stress from catch-and-release fishing, while shark ecotourism raises its own welfare considerations.
Shark finning represents one of the most egregious practices in commercial fishing - removing fins from living animals and discarding them to die slowly. The suffering involved is significant and prolonged. Beyond finning, bycatch mortality affects millions of sharks annually in commercial fisheries. Shark ecotourism offers an alternative economic model that protects sharks while generating tourism revenue, demonstrating that living sharks have greater economic value than dead ones in many contexts. Ending finning requires both legislation and demand reduction in consuming countries.