Sea turtles are frequently caught as bycatch in commercial fishing gear, causing injuries, drowning, and death. Mitigation measures exist but adoption remains incomplete.
Sea turtle bycatch represents a significant welfare problem affecting animals that can live over 80 years and play important ecological roles. Turtles captured in longline gear experience the physical trauma of hook injuries — often in the throat or esophagus — followed by hours or days of entanglement stress before death by drowning or slaughter. Trawl-caught turtles face crushing injuries and drowning. The welfare harm is preventable: TEDs, circle hooks replacing J-hooks in longlines, and modified fishing practices substantially reduce bycatch. Full adoption of these measures is the most impactful intervention available. Consumer demand for MSC-certified or otherwise sustainably sourced seafood from fisheries with verified bycatch reduction programs creates market incentives for adoption.