Sharks face welfare harm through bycatch, targeted fishing, and depredation control measures, while also being important apex predators whose welfare intersects with ecosystem health.
Shark welfare in fisheries involves animals that are often feared rather than protected, yet their capacity for pain and stress is well-supported by evidence. Longline capture causes prolonged stress; finning causes extreme suffering as sharks drown; discarding injured sharks after depredation removal causes mortality without quick death. The welfare case for sharks is inseparable from the ecological case — healthy shark populations serve as ecosystem regulators that benefit the welfare of fish populations they manage. Welfare-positive shark fisheries management requires both protecting sharks from unnecessary harm and recognizing their ecological welfare value.