Sea turtle bycatch in commercial fishing operations causes significant suffering and mortality, with turtle excluder devices and fishing gear modifications reducing but not eliminating the problem.
Sea turtle bycatch welfare involves both acute suffering during capture events and the cumulative population-level welfare consequences of high mortality rates. Individual turtles caught in nets or on hooks experience drowning, barotrauma from rapid retrieval and injury from gear. Those that survive capture may be injured and weakened, facing reduced survival prospects upon release. Fishing gear modifications including circle hooks, LED lights that make nets visible to turtles and turtle excluder devices significantly reduce capture rates when properly adopted. Regulatory requirements for these modifications in commercial fisheries, combined with observer programs to ensure compliance, represent effective welfare interventions.