Sea turtles are among the most severely affected species by ghost fishing gear, with entanglement causing drowning, limb loss, and chronic impairment at significant population scale.
Ghost gear entanglement in sea turtles creates some of the most prolonged and severe welfare harms documented in marine conservation work. A turtle entangled in fishing line may survive initial drowning risk by surfacing intermittently, but the continued entanglement causes progressive damage — cuts deepening into flippers, exhaustion from dragging gear, reduced ability to hunt and eat. Some rescued turtles arrive at rehabilitation centers with limbs that have been slowly amputated by constricting line over weeks or months. The combination of acute injury, chronic impairment, and high mortality rates makes ghost gear one of the most welfare-significant threats facing sea turtles globally.