Sea Turtle Bycatch: Reducing Incidental Capture in Commercial Fisheries

Sea turtles are caught as bycatch in commercial fisheries worldwide, causing drowning and serious injuries. Technological and management solutions can dramatically reduce this welfare and conservation harm.

Key Facts

An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are caught as bycatch in longline fisheries annually
Turtles caught in gillnets typically drown within minutes to hours of entanglement
Longline hooks in tuna and swordfish fisheries capture turtles that ingest or become entangled in gear
Turtle Excluder Devices fitted to shrimp trawl nets allow turtles to escape and reduce bycatch by 97 per cent
Circle hooks and mackerel-type bait in longline fisheries reduce sea turtle bycatch by 85 to 90 per cent compared to J-hooks
Post-release survival of hooked turtles depends on hook location, handling practices, and de-hooking technique
Sea turtle bycatch mortality is a major factor contributing to population declines in some species

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch causes significant welfare harm through drowning, hook injuries, and the stress of capture and handling. Turtles caught in trawl nets and not equipped with Turtle Excluder Devices die through drowning in stressful and distressing circumstances. Longline-hooked turtles may survive capture but suffer penetrating hook injuries that cause internal damage, infection, and chronic pain. The welfare and conservation benefits of widely available, cost-effective bycatch reduction technologies are therefore very large, yet adoption remains incomplete due to cost, regulatory gaps, and compliance challenges. Effective sea turtle bycatch reduction requires a combination of gear technology mandates, fisheries observer programmes, fisher training in safe handling and de-hooking, and strong compliance mechanisms.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by sustainability schemes that include sea turtle bycatch criteria
Support fisheries organisations implementing Turtle Excluder Devices and circle hook programmes
Advocate for mandatory bycatch reduction gear in fisheries with significant sea turtle interactions
Learn about sea turtle conservation status and the role of bycatch in population declines
Support NGOs working on sea turtle bycatch reduction through fisher engagement and policy advocacy