Sea turtles are accidentally caught in fishing gear worldwide, causing injury, drowning, and death. Bycatch reduction technology and fishery management practices can dramatically reduce this toll.
Sea turtles caught as bycatch experience significant suffering during the capture process and from injuries sustained in gear. Drowning in nets is a slow and distressing death for animals that must breathe air. Turtles entangled in longlines may remain hooked or tangled for extended periods, causing exhaustion and injury before either being hauled aboard or dying. Survivors returned to the sea with hook injuries or flipper damage face ongoing welfare consequences. The welfare and conservation cases for bycatch reduction align perfectly: TEDs, circle hooks, and fishery management changes that save turtles also tend to be economically compatible with sustainable fisheries. Observer programs and at-sea handling protocols can also reduce mortality among turtles that are caught alive.