Sharks face intense pressure from finning, bycatch, and targeted fishing. Understanding both conservation concerns and individual shark welfare reveals the multiple dimensions of this crisis.
Individual shark welfare in the context of finning is stark and well-documented: a shark with its fins removed is thrown back into the water alive, unable to swim, and drowns or is eaten. This is among the most clearly cruel practices in global fisheries. Beyond finning, sharks caught on longlines or in trawl nets may spend hours or days in distress before death. The scale - 100 million sharks per year - means the aggregate welfare cost of current shark mortality is enormous even if individual shark sentience is less certain than that of mammals. Sharks that do have capacity for suffering experience acute distress during capture, handling, and the death process regardless of the method of mortality.