Wildlife

Sea Turtle Welfare: Entanglement, Ingestion, and Rehabilitation

Sea turtles face welfare harms from plastic ingestion, fishing gear entanglement, and light pollution disrupting nesting behaviour.

Key Facts

All 7 sea turtle species are threatened or endangered
Ghost gear (abandoned fishing nets) entangles thousands of turtles annually
Turtles mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish and ingest them
Artificial light disrupts hatchling navigation toward the sea
Climate change is skewing sex ratios as nest temperatures rise

Welfare Considerations

Entangled turtles experience drowning, flipper injuries from cutting ropes, and secondary infections. Plastic ingestion causes intestinal blockage and starvation. Hatchlings disoriented by artificial light face exhaustion and predation. Fibropapillomatosis, a herpesvirus causing debilitating tumours, is associated with polluted nearshore waters. Recovery from entanglement injuries can take months in rehabilitation facilities.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption, especially bags and straws
Support ghost gear removal and responsible disposal campaigns
Advocate for turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in fisheries
Use turtle-safe lighting near nesting beaches
Support sea turtle rehabilitation centres