Wild Sea Turtle Welfare: Bycatch, Plastic, and Nesting Protection

Sea turtles face entanglement in fishing gear, ingestion of plastic debris, and disrupted nesting from coastal development. Protecting sea turtle welfare requires ocean-wide intervention across their entire life cycle.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered
An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are caught as bycatch annually in longline fisheries alone
Sea turtles frequently mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, leading to gut blockages and death
Entanglement in fishing gear causes drowning, limb amputation, and severe lacerations
Artificial lighting on nesting beaches disorients hatchlings, drawing them toward roads instead of ocean
Climate change is skewing sex ratios toward females as nest temperatures rise, threatening population viability

Welfare Considerations

Individual sea turtle welfare involves prolonged suffering in multiple contexts. Bycatch entanglement causes drowning or severe injury over hours. Plastic ingestion causes progressive gut impaction and starvation. Disoriented hatchlings crossing roads die from vehicle strikes or dehydration. Rehabilitation centers treat thousands of injured turtles annually, but prevention is vastly more effective than rescue. Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in trawl nets prevent bycatch with minimal economic impact on fisheries. Reducing single-use plastic production and properly managing coastal lighting during nesting season are tractable individual actions.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory turtle excluder device requirements in trawl fisheries globally
Reduce single-use plastic use and advocate for plastic production limits
Participate in beach lighting management programs during sea turtle nesting season in coastal areas
Donate to sea turtle rehabilitation centers and nesting beach protection programs
Choose seafood caught with gear types that have lower sea turtle bycatch rates