Bycatch is a term that refers to a species that was accidentally caught while fishing for other species. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately tens of millions of sharks are caught as bycatch each year. Moreover, annual landings in the global shark fin trade were estimated to be 224,000 tons. This itself is a big number, but a greater shock is that approximately ~94% of sharks caught had landed as bycatch—207,000 tons of sharks caught are unmanaged. 

The main reasons for shark catch can vary; however, one of the reasons is that when fisheries capture sharks while fishing, they intentionally don't throw them back in the water immediately. With the rising demand for shark fins, the fishermen keep and fin the sharks they have caught. Shark fins have a high demand in the market due to their Chinese cultural significance, where it is used in medications and some dishes, such as ‘Shark Fin Soup.’ As the practice of shark bycatch started being adopted by many fisheries worldwide, it became difficult to know which species was the real target. Often, the number of sharks caught by the fishermen exceeded the species they were out hunting for.

No matter the reason, the effect of shark bycatch is massive on the marine ecosystem. The first and foremost effect is population decline. The excessive catch of sharks leads to their population declining drastically, affecting the marine ecosystem's balance. Each mammal has an important role in the ecosystem, especially in the food chain through the prey-predator relationship. If one dies, all life is bound to meet its end. Furthermore, biodiversity loss will also become a common sight prominent in the waters, where the catching of school sharks can lead to reduced genetic diversity within the species, eventually leading to their extinction. 

If the practice of bycatch continues, then the hope of future generations seeing a well-established marine ecosystem will diminish. Some practices that can be employed to stop school sharks bycatch include: 

1. Employing selective fishing gear: fishing organizations should use selective fishing gear for the species that they wish to catch so that the possibility of a shark bycatch is avoided by all means. Some devices, such as bycatch mitigation devices, can help reduce the probability of bycatches and make sure that no sharks are caught in the process of regular fishing. 

2. Sustainable Fishing Practices: Companies should use several fishing techniques that prevent the capture of not only sharks but other mammals as well. For instance, using the technique of line fishing (which only catches one fish at a time) or using shark deterrents that emit signals to deter sharks from the fishing region. These techniques have their cons from the economic perspective, but we have to prioritize one over the other. Which is more important, money or life? 

3. Trawl Fishing: Trawl nets are large conical mets dragged on the ocean bed to catch fish. These nets play a major role in bycatches; however, we can alter the net to make it suitable for the marine ecosystem. By adding shark escape panels and modifying the shape/size of the net to allow sharks to escape, trawl fishing can prove helpful in the interests of biodiversity and the companies. Bulk fishing with minimum bycatch. 

Several companies have strict policies to avoid shark bycatch that have been proven helpful in the long term. Some examples of the same are:

1. Walmart: They have prioritized partnering with other companies to reduce unsustainable seafood practices, which mainly includes avoiding shark bycatch. 

2. Ocean Mist Farms: They have installed bycatch reduction devices to avoid bycatch of species such as sharks. These devices have been helpful. 

Sharks have been alive on Earth since before the dinosaurs and have survived many mass extinction periods. This era is the closest the sharks have come to extinction—three-quarters of the shark species are being threatened by fisheries and humans, where the constant shark bycatch is a major problem. If no action is taken against this soon, then we humans would be responsible for killing a species that has survived so long in the wilderness. If we continue to allow shark bycatch to persist, we risk irreparably damaging not only shark populations but the entire marine ecosystem. It is crucial that we adopt sustainable fishing practices now, before it’s too late to save these vital creatures.