Sea Turtle Bycatch: Welfare and Conservation Intersect

How sea turtles are caught and harmed as bycatch in commercial fisheries and what gear modifications protect them most effectively.

Key Facts

An estimated 85,000 sea turtles are unintentionally caught annually in longline fisheries globally
All seven sea turtle species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List
Circle hooks instead of J-hooks reduce sea turtle bycatch by up to 85% in pelagic longline fisheries
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawl nets allow trapped turtles to escape and are mandatory in many jurisdictions
Drowning is the primary cause of death in trawl bycatch — turtles require air to breathe and die rapidly when unable to surface
Even turtles that survive bycatch interactions may suffer hook ingestion, line entanglement and physical trauma

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch inflicts significant individual suffering — drowning, hook ingestion and entanglement with fishing gear are acutely painful and stressful — on top of the population-level conservation harm. The welfare and conservation dimensions are inseparable: each injured or killed individual represents years of slow development lost, since sea turtles reach reproductive maturity at 20–50 years. The most impactful welfare and conservation interventions are the same: circle hooks, TEDs and area-based management that excludes fishing from critical aggregation areas during nesting and feeding seasons. These tools are proven, affordable and under-adopted due to insufficient regulatory enforcement and economic incentives.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) — certification requires bycatch monitoring and mitigation
Advocate for mandatory circle hook adoption and TED use in jurisdictions where it is not yet required
Support organisations that track fisheries bycatch data and advocate for stronger sea turtle protection through CITES and RFMOs
If you find an entangled or stranded sea turtle, contact your national sea turtle rescue network immediately
Reduce consumption of species caught primarily by non-selective high-bycatch methods (industrial longline tuna, shrimp trawl)
Support satellite tracking programmes that identify critical sea turtle habitats to inform fisheries exclusion zones