Sea Turtle Bycatch and Welfare in Commercial Fisheries

Sea turtles are accidentally caught in fishing gear, causing injuries, drowning, and death. Bycatch reduction technologies can dramatically reduce this toll with minimal impact on fishing efficiency.

Key Facts

All seven species of sea turtle are listed as endangered or vulnerable under IUCN criteria
Longline fisheries for tuna and swordfish are the leading cause of sea turtle bycatch globally, with estimates of 200,000 loggerheads caught annually
Sea turtles can remain submerged for hours but will drown if entangled in gillnets or longlines without access to the surface
Circle hooks (replacing J-hooks) reduce sea turtle capture rates by up to 90% in some longline fisheries with little reduction in target catch
Sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in shrimp trawls are mandated in US waters and reduce sea turtle drowning significantly
Injured sea turtles caught in fishing gear can be revived if released promptly and correctly — training fishers in live release protocols saves lives

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch causes suffering at multiple scales: the acute drowning or entanglement trauma of individual animals, and the population-level threat to species already reduced by centuries of direct hunting and habitat loss. The welfare implications of drowning in fishing gear — a death that takes minutes to hours — are severe. Available mitigation technologies are proven, relatively low-cost, and in many cases increase fishing efficiency by reducing the handling burden of by-catch. Consumer choices supporting MSC-certified sustainable fisheries create incentives for bycatch reduction measures.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) or equivalent with documented bycatch reduction measures
Support organizations working on sea turtle bycatch reduction through fishing gear innovation and fisher training
Reduce seafood consumption from fisheries with documented high bycatch rates (particularly longline tuna)
Advocate for mandatory TEDs and circle hook requirements in commercial fisheries in your jurisdiction