Sea Turtle Bycatch: Welfare and Conservation Crisis

How commercial fishing bycatch causes injury, drowning, and death in all seven sea turtle species, and the solutions available.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered
Longlines, trawls, and gillnets kill tens of thousands of sea turtles annually
Sea turtles can drown in minutes when caught underwater in fishing gear
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) can reduce bycatch by 97% with minimal fish catch loss
Sea turtle recovery has been documented where fishing pressure is reduced

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtles caught in fishing gear experience drowning stress and physical injury from hooks and entanglement. Longline hooks embedded in turtles cause infection, perforation injuries, and swimming impediment that can be fatal weeks after hook removal. TEDs allow turtles to escape trawl nets before drowning. The welfare solution - widespread adoption of turtle-excluding gear - is technically available but requires regulatory enforcement and fishing industry compliance. Returning observers and cameras on fishing vessels is important for monitoring compliance.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified from fisheries with bycatch reduction measures
Support mandatory TED use and enforcement in shrimp trawl fisheries
Advocate for observer coverage on commercial fishing vessels
Support organizations rescuing and rehabilitating injured sea turtles
Reduce demand for seafood from fisheries with high turtle bycatch rates