Wildlife

Sea Turtle Welfare and Fisheries Bycatch

All sea turtle species are threatened, with bycatch in longline, trawl, and gillnet fisheries causing injuries and deaths affecting millions of turtles annually.

Key Facts

Around 250,000 loggerhead and leatherback turtles are caught annually in longlines
Many bycaught turtles survive capture but suffer serious injuries
Longline hooks cause injuries to the mouth, esophagus, and stomach
Turtle excluder devices are mandatory in some US shrimp trawl fisheries but unevenly adopted
Nesting beach protection has improved but fisheries bycatch remains critical

Welfare Considerations

Longline bycatch causes hook injuries requiring veterinary treatment. Turtles entangled in gillnets drown when unable to surface. Cold stunning events trap turtles in frigid water causing slow neurological impairment. Turtles brought to the surface rapidly from depth suffer decompression-like injuries. Beach plastic pollution causes ingestion injuries in hatchlings and adults.

What You Can Do

Support turtle excluder device requirements in shrimp fisheries
Donate to sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation centers
Advocate for circle hook requirements in tuna and swordfish longlines
Reduce plastic consumption to decrease beach and ocean plastic pollution
Support sea turtle nesting beach protection programs