50 Years after “Jaws”: Sharks, Pain, Ethics

Beyond now, we strive for an informed, ethical, and sustainable future. Current shark finning practices—still widespread despite legal bans—reflect outdated ideas about sharks, particularly the long-held belief that they do not feel pain. This belief has been fueled by dramatic anecdotes from fishermen and early observers who described sharks continuing to swim, feed, or even attack despite serious injuries. Reports such as sharks disemboweled or split in two still feeding gave rise to the myth of the “insensate predator.” Some even claimed “the weight of the evidence supports the view that sharks do not feel pain.”

However, scientists in the Lewin group at MDC are using a host of bioinformatics, neural net based behavioral tracking and transcriptomics to systemically enquire the ability of sharks to respond to painful stimuli. Emerging evidence suggests sharks may, in fact, experience pain, challenging past assumptions and raising urgent ethical questions. If sharks are capable of distress, what does that mean for the way we treat them—for trade and conservation?

A panel of scientists, journalists, and divers will explore these intersections—inviting the audience to think beyond now and toward a world where science, ethics, and empathy guide our relationship with nature.