Sea turtle bycatch in fishing gear causes tens of thousands of deaths and serious injuries annually. Technological and regulatory solutions exist but require broader adoption to reduce this welfare toll.
Sea turtle bycatch represents a massive but largely invisible welfare problem. Turtles caught in fishing gear experience drowning if they cannot surface, injuries from hooks and entanglement, and severe stress from capture and handling. Even turtles that are released alive after capture may die from hook injuries, entanglement wounds, or decompression injuries caused by rapid depth changes. The welfare scale is significant: hundreds of thousands of individuals annually. The tragedy is that effective solutions exist — TEDs and circle hooks have been proven to dramatically reduce bycatch — but adoption is incomplete and enforcement of existing requirements is inconsistent. Consumer seafood choices and advocacy for stronger fishing regulations can drive meaningful improvement.