Sea Turtle Conservation and Bycatch Welfare

Sea turtles face multiple human-caused threats including fisheries bycatch, coastal development, and pollution. Bycatch in particular causes significant welfare harm and population-level conservation threats.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered primarily due to human activities
Longline fisheries and trawls catch hundreds of thousands of sea turtles annually
Drowning in fishing gear is a leading cause of sea turtle mortality
Circle hooks and fish bait instead of squid significantly reduce sea turtle longline bycatch
Sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation programs save thousands of individual animals annually

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch causes both individual welfare harm and conservation crisis. Turtles entangled in longlines or caught in trawls experience stress and injury, and those that drown suffer preventably. Simple gear modifications like circle hooks have been shown to reduce sea turtle bycatch significantly without affecting target species catch rates in many fisheries. The welfare and conservation cases for bycatch reduction are aligned. Conservation-focused turtle rescue programs treat individual injured turtles while contributing to population recovery through successful releases. The combination of gear modification, bycatch monitoring, and rehabilitation represents a comprehensive response to sea turtle threats from fisheries.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs monitoring and reducing sea turtle bycatch
Support sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation organizations in nesting regions you visit
Advocate for circle hook requirements and bycatch monitoring in longline fisheries
Reduce plastic use — marine plastic pollution is a major cause of sea turtle injury and death