Aquatic Animal Welfare

Shark Welfare and Bycatch

The welfare implications of bycatch for sharks and how fisheries management can reduce incidental capture and suffering.

Key Facts

Sharks are frequently caught as bycatch in longline, trawl, and gillnet fisheries
An estimated 100 million sharks are caught annually, a large proportion as bycatch
Sharks experience significant stress, injury, and mortality during capture and release
Circle hooks and bait modifications can reduce shark bycatch by up to 90% in some fisheries
Some shark species take 30 minutes or longer to die after capture, indicating prolonged suffering

Welfare Considerations

Shark bycatch poses serious welfare concerns. Sharks experience acute stress responses during capture including exhaustion, hypoxia, and physical injury. For pelagic species like blue sharks caught on longlines, survival after discard is uncertain and often poor. Welfare improvements include gear modifications to reduce bycatch, mandatory dehooking tools for live release, and observer programs to monitor bycatch mortality rates.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by schemes that address shark bycatch
Support fisheries management policies that require bycatch reduction measures
Learn which seafood species commonly involve high shark bycatch
Donate to organizations working on shark bycatch mitigation technology