Sea Turtle Conservation and Bycatch Reduction

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, and fisheries bycatch is the most significant human-caused mortality factor affecting their populations globally.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are listed as threatened or endangered under US law
Longline fisheries are estimated to catch 200,000 sea turtles annually worldwide
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) reduce sea turtle bycatch in trawl fisheries by 97%
Circle hooks in longline fisheries reduce sea turtle bycatch by up to 90%
Fibropapillomatosis, a tumor disease, is increasing in sea turtle populations linked to coastal pollution

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch welfare harm is severe. Turtles caught in nets or on hooks may drown if unable to surface, or suffer hook injuries and entanglement wounds requiring treatment. Long entanglement periods cause exhaustion and physiological stress before death or release. TEDs and circle hooks are proven technologies that dramatically reduce both mortality and sublethal welfare harm. The continued failure to universally adopt these technologies in fisheries where sea turtles are present represents a preventable welfare failure at enormous scale.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs requiring TED use in trawl fisheries
Support circle hook adoption requirements in longline fisheries
Advocate for universal TED requirements in all shrimp trawl fisheries
Report sighted stranded or injured sea turtles to local wildlife response organizations