Wildlife

Marine Turtle Bycatch in Commercial Fisheries

All seven species of marine turtle face significant threats from accidental capture in fishing gear, causing injury, drowning and population decline.

Key Facts

An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally captured annually in longline fisheries
Loggerheads are among the most frequently caught species in Atlantic longlines
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) reduce bycatch by up to 97% in trawl fisheries
Circle hooks reduce loggerhead capture rates by 90% compared to J-hooks
All marine turtle species are listed as vulnerable to critically endangered

Welfare Considerations

Turtles captured in fishing gear face drowning if unable to surface, physical injury from hooks and lines, and exhaustion from struggling against gear. Survivors may have internal injuries from swallowed hooks that affect long-term survival. Given marine turtles reproduce slowly and reach maturity after decades, even small levels of bycatch can reduce population viability. Effective mitigation tools exist but adoption remains incomplete globally.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified to schemes with verified bycatch mitigation
Support campaigns for universal adoption of Turtle Excluder Devices
Advocate for circle hook requirements in international longline fisheries
Support marine turtle conservation organisations working on bycatch reduction