Marine Turtle Bycatch Welfare: Reducing Incidental Capture Suffering

Sea turtles are caught incidentally in fishing gear worldwide, causing drowning, injury, and death. Improving bycatch handling and gear modification reduces this welfare harm.

Key Facts

Longline fisheries catch an estimated 200,000 sea turtles per year globally
Trawl nets cause drowning when turtles cannot surface — death in 7-8 minutes
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawls can reduce turtle bycatch by 97%
Proper dehooking and release techniques significantly improve survival of caught turtles
All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch represents a major but reducible source of animal suffering. Caught turtles experience panic, exhaustion, and drowning. Injuries from hooks and entanglement cause pain and long-term harm even in released animals. TEDs, circle hooks, and modified fishing practices dramatically reduce bycatch. For turtles that are caught, proper resuscitation and release protocols — removing hooks correctly, allowing recovery time before release — significantly improve survival.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs with bycatch reduction requirements
Support fisheries that use Turtle Excluder Devices
Advocate for mandatory TED requirements in shrimp trawl fisheries
Support sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation organizations