Sea Turtle Conservation: Bycatch, Nesting, and Recovery

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered. Their welfare and conservation are intertwined — threats including bycatch, beach development, and plastic pollution affect both survival and suffering.

Key Facts

Over 250,000 sea turtles are estimated to be caught as bycatch in longline fisheries annually
Female sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched to nest — sometimes travelling thousands of kilometres
Ingested plastic causes intestinal blockages and buoyancy disorders that lead to slow starvation and drowning
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in shrimp trawls reduce turtle bycatch by over 97% and are legally required in many fisheries
Nest temperature determines hatchling sex: rising beach temperatures due to climate change are skewing populations female

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle welfare is inseparable from their conservation status. Animals entangled in fishing gear experience acute distress and often die of drowning or secondary injuries. Plastic ingestion causes prolonged suffering before death. Beach development disrupts nesting behaviour and causes hatchling disorientation. Recovery programmes have demonstrated that populations can rebound with sustained protection — leatherback turtles nesting in Trinidad have increased significantly under protection. Individual welfare improvements and conservation interventions are mutually reinforcing.

What You Can Do

Never release balloons or single-use plastics near coastal environments
Support sea turtle conservation organisations working on bycatch reduction and beach protection
Advocate for mandatory Turtle Excluder Device requirements in shrimp and trawl fisheries
Participate in beach clean-up events to reduce plastic ingestion risk for marine wildlife