Fish Bycatch Discard and Welfare

Billions of fish and other marine animals are caught unintentionally each year and discarded, often dying in the process. Bycatch is one of the largest welfare problems in global fisheries.

Key Facts

Global bycatch is estimated at 40% of all marine catch — approximately 38 million tonnes annually
Shrimp trawling has some of the highest bycatch ratios, with up to 10kg of bycatch per kg of target species
EU discard bans require fishers to land all catch, reducing wasteful discarding but creating compliance challenges
Turtle excluder devices, fish escape panels, and modified net designs can substantially reduce bycatch of non-target species
Longline fisheries kill an estimated 300,000 seabirds annually as bycatch

Welfare Considerations

Bycatch animals experience acute welfare harms: crushing pressure from nets, barotrauma from rapid depth changes, exhaustion from prolonged struggling, and slow death from asphyxiation on deck. Discard of live fish is particularly welfare-problematic — animals returned to the sea injured and exhausted have low survival rates and may suffer for extended periods before dying. Seabirds caught on longline hooks drown; sea turtles in nets suffocate. The scale of bycatch welfare impact dwarfs most other human activities affecting wild animal welfare. Fishing gear modifications, spatial management, and reduced fishing pressure are the main levers for change. Consumer choices that favour sustainably certified low-bycatch fisheries create demand-side pressure for improvement.

What You Can Do

Buy seafood certified by schemes that include bycatch reduction as a standard, such as the Marine Stewardship Council
Choose species and products from fishing methods with low bycatch rates such as handline or pot-caught fish
Support campaigns advocating for mandatory use of bycatch reduction devices in shrimp and trawl fisheries
Reduce seafood consumption overall to lower the total demand driving bycatch-intensive fishing pressure
Donate to organisations developing and deploying bycatch reduction technologies in high-impact fisheries