Sea Turtle Bycatch in Commercial Fisheries

Tens of thousands of sea turtles are killed annually as bycatch in commercial fisheries, despite all species being protected.

Key Facts

An estimated 85,000 sea turtles are caught annually as bycatch globally
Longline fisheries for tuna and swordfish are the primary source of sea turtle bycatch
Circle hooks and fish bait instead of squid bait significantly reduce turtle bycatch in longlines
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) reduce shrimp trawl bycatch by over 97%
All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, partly due to bycatch mortality

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtles caught as bycatch experience acute welfare crises: drowning on longlines, physical injury from hooks, and physiological stress from handling. Many turtles that survive capture suffer internal injuries from line entanglement or hook ingestion. The combination of welfare and conservation concern makes sea turtle bycatch reduction a priority issue. Available technical solutions — circle hooks, fish bait, TEDs — are effective and increasingly required by regulation, but enforcement and uptake remain incomplete.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by fisheries with documented low bycatch rates
Support Marine Stewardship Council certification as a proxy for bycatch management
Advocate for mandatory TED use and circle hooks in all relevant fisheries
Support sea turtle rehabilitation programs that treat bycatch survivors
Learn about bycatch through organisations like Oceana and WWF