Sea turtles face multiple anthropogenic threats causing individual suffering and population decline. Each threat vector creates specific welfare harms requiring targeted intervention strategies.
Sea turtle welfare threats operate across life stages from egg incubation to adult oceanic life. Bycatch drowning causes acute suffocation for trawl-caught turtles that may remain underwater for hours before nets are hauled. Plastic ingestion causes gastrointestinal obstruction that progresses over weeks or months, causing prolonged discomfort and starvation. Entanglement in ghost fishing gear — abandoned nets continuing to catch wildlife — causes drowning and exhaustion. Nesting beach light pollution causes hatchling disorientation with high mortality from dehydration and predation during misdirected travel. Each welfare threat has practical solutions — TEDs, turtle-safe fishing practices, beach lighting management, and plastic pollution reduction — making sea turtle welfare improvement achievable.