Sea turtles are caught as bycatch in longline fisheries targeting tuna and swordfish at rates that threaten population recovery, with significant welfare implications for hooked and entangled individuals.
Longline bycatch causes suffering to sea turtles through hook injuries, line entanglement restricting breathing, and exhaustion from struggling against fishing gear. Turtles brought to the surface may have been submerged beyond their breath-holding capacity, causing drowning. Those with deeply embedded hooks face peritonitis and internal bleeding after release. The welfare and conservation goals align clearly in this case: reducing bycatch improves both individual turtle welfare and population-level conservation outcomes. Circle hook adoption, time-area closures during peak turtle migration, and trained crew handling protocols are all evidence-based interventions with strong welfare benefits.