Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are caught accidentally in fishing gear each year, suffering injury and death from drowning, physical trauma, and the stress of capture and release.
Sea turtles caught as bycatch endure variable but often severe welfare insults. Turtles entangled in longline gear may remain hooked for hours before the line is retrieved, experiencing pain from hook penetration and respiratory distress. Trawl-caught turtles face drowning risk within minutes of capture. Even when released alive, turtles may suffer delayed mortality from injuries and stress. Safe handling and release protocols, combined with circle hooks on longlines that reduce swallowing risk, significantly improve survival of released turtles.