Marine Turtle Bycatch and Welfare

Sea turtles are caught as bycatch in fisheries around the world, causing significant welfare harm and threatening already endangered populations.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, with bycatch a leading mortality cause
Circle hooks and excluder devices reduce sea turtle bycatch by over 80% with minimal fish catch loss
Longline fisheries in the Pacific and Atlantic cause tens of thousands of sea turtle deaths annually
Leatherback turtles are particularly vulnerable to bycatch in driftnet and longline fisheries
The Worldwide Fund for Nature estimates 250,000 sea turtles are captured as bycatch annually

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtles caught in fishing gear experience drowning, physical injuries from hooks and entanglement, and prolonged distress during extended submersion beyond their breath-holding capacity. The welfare harm is acute and often fatal. The availability of highly effective mitigation measures — circle hooks, turtle excluder devices, gear modifications — means that most of this welfare harm is preventable at modest cost to fishing operations. Consumer choice of certified sustainable seafood creates market incentives for bycatch mitigation adoption.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs with sea turtle bycatch standards
Support legislation requiring turtle excluder devices on all relevant fishing gear
Donate to sea turtle conservation programs addressing bycatch
Advocate for satellite tracking of sea turtle bycatch hotspots to focus mitigation efforts
Share information about sea turtle bycatch with seafood consumers