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How does commercial fishing harm white shark populations?
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white shark
White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) populations are frequently centred in highly productive temperate coastal waters (that is, waters characterized by an abundance of fishes and marine mammals).
Commercial fishing harms white shark populations through both direct targeting and accidental capture, posing a significant threat to these apex predators.12
- Bycatch: Many white sharks are caught unintentionally in commercial fishing gear, such as nets and longline hooks intended for other species. This accidental capture has been a leading factor in the population crashes of white sharks in regions like the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.12
- Finning and Harvesting: While some white sharks are targeted for their meat, jaws, and teeth, they are also frequent victims of finning—the practice of harvesting a shark's fins and discarding the rest of the body. Even when sharks are caught as bycatch, survivors may be killed intentionally for their fins and other valuable parts.12
- Biological Vulnerability: Because white sharks grow slowly and produce few young, they are unable to recover quickly from population losses. As top predators, they are never abundant, meaning the removal of even a few individuals can have a profound, negative impact on their population stability.1
Protecting these animals is an ethical imperative, as their role as apex predators is essential for maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.12