Yes! Gill nets which float in the ocean often more than 30 miles (50 km) long trap every large creature in their path including whales, sea turtles and sharks. Longline fisheries catch huge numbers of sharks and most are left to rot in the sea, the sharks are often only taken for their fins which are cut from the living shark which is then thrown back into the sea. This continues because most people do not realize how important the sharks are to the health of our oceans, and therefore to our planet.