Commercial Fishing Bycatch Welfare

Bycatch — the accidental capture of non-target species — kills and injures hundreds of millions of animals annually in global fisheries.

Key Facts

An estimated 40% of all marine catch is bycatch — non-target species
Bycatch includes endangered sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, seabirds, and juvenile fish
Bottom trawling affects entire benthic ecosystems and all their inhabitants
Circle hooks and modified gear can reduce sea turtle bycatch by 80-90%
Discarding bycatch after death or injury represents a massive welfare and resource waste

Welfare Considerations

Fishing bycatch causes welfare harm on a scale that dwarfs many more visible animal welfare issues. Hundreds of millions of non-target animals are caught, injured, and killed annually in the process of harvesting target fish species. The welfare costs fall on a diverse range of species including sea turtles, marine mammals, seabirds, sharks, and the full assemblage of species that share fishing grounds with target species. Gear modifications that reduce bycatch selectively exist for many fisheries. Consumer choice for sustainably certified seafood that requires bycatch reduction creates market pressure for improvement.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by schemes that require bycatch reduction measures
Advocate for mandatory implementation of bycatch-reducing gear modifications
Reduce consumption of species caught by high-bycatch methods like bottom trawling
Support international efforts to reduce bycatch through gear standards and area restrictions
Ask retailers about bycatch performance in their seafood supply chains