Wild Fish Bycatch: The Hidden Welfare Cost of Fishing

Bycatch — the incidental capture of non-target species — kills billions of animals annually and represents a major but largely invisible animal welfare crisis.

Key Facts

Global bycatch is estimated at 38 million tonnes annually, nearly 40 percent of total marine catch
Bycatch victims include sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds, sharks, rays, and countless fish species
Longline fishing catches millions of seabirds annually including critically endangered albatrosses
Trawl nets frequently capture and kill dolphins, porpoises, and sea turtles as bycatch
Bycatch reduction devices and modified fishing gear can dramatically reduce non-target catch
EU landing obligation rules have made some progress on bycatch reduction but face compliance challenges

Welfare Considerations

Bycatch animals die slowly from suffocation, crushing, or injuries sustained in fishing gear. For sentient species including marine mammals, turtles, and seabirds, this represents enormous welfare harm. Bycatch is largely invisible to consumers but represents one of the largest sources of human-caused animal mortality. Fishing gear modification and better spatial management can dramatically reduce bycatch.

What You Can Do

Choose MSC-certified or sustainability-labelled seafood products that require bycatch monitoring
Support campaigns for mandatory bycatch reduction device use in commercial fishing
Advocate for stronger EU and international bycatch reduction commitments
Support organisations working on seabird and marine mammal bycatch specifically
Reduce overall seafood consumption to lower demand pressure on marine ecosystems