Touch tanks in aquariums allow visitors to handle sea creatures directly, raising welfare concerns about stress, injury, and immune compromise for the animals involved.
Touch tanks present a direct conflict between visitor engagement and animal welfare. Rays and small sharks in heavily trafficked tanks show chronic stress indicators — reduced feeding, abnormal swimming, elevated cortisol — that compound across their often multi-year captive lives. Progressive aquariums are replacing touch access with immersive near-contact experiences that maintain educational value without the welfare cost.