Sharks and rays in public aquaria face specific welfare challenges related to their size, movement requirements and social needs. Understanding these challenges informs welfare-conscious visiting choices.
Shark and ray welfare in captivity requires addressing the fundamental mismatch between open-ocean ranging behaviour and contained exhibits. A sand tiger shark that swims in a continuous oval pattern in an aquarium tank is showing stereotypic behaviour that indicates inadequate space for natural movement. Rays resting on bare concrete substrates rather than sand cannot express natural burying behaviour or feed normally. The best large aquarium facilities invest in appropriately scaled exhibits with natural substrate and diverse habitat complexity. Welfare-conscious visitors choose aquaria that can demonstrate they measure and improve shark welfare outcomes rather than simply display these animals.