Wild Tuna Bycatch and Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

Industrial tuna fishing kills millions of non-target animals including sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins annually, with improvements in fishing gear offering meaningful welfare reductions.

Key Facts

Purse seine tuna fishing historically used dolphin schools to locate yellowfin tuna
The 'dolphin-safe' label requires independent monitoring of fishing practices
Longline tuna fishing kills an estimated 4.4 million bycatch animals annually worldwide
Billfish, sharks, sea turtles, and seabirds are frequent bycatch victims in tuna longlines
Circle hooks significantly reduce turtle bycatch without reducing tuna catch rates
Bird-scaring streamers (tori lines) reduce seabird bycatch by 80-90%
Electronic monitoring systems are increasingly replacing human observers on fishing vessels
The Marine Stewardship Council requires bycatch reduction measures for certified fisheries

Welfare Considerations

Bycatch animals caught on longline hooks experience prolonged suffering - hooks embedded in the jaw, esophagus, or stomach cause pain as the animal is dragged for hours before the line is hauled. Sea turtles and air-breathing mammals can drown. Sharks may be hauled alive and have their fins removed before being returned to the sea to die slowly. The scale of bycatch suffering in global tuna fisheries represents one of the largest ongoing wildlife welfare crises, affecting millions of individuals from dozens of species annually.

What You Can Do

Choose MSC-certified tuna products that require verified bycatch reduction
Support circle hook requirements for all longline tuna fisheries
Advocate for electronic monitoring on all commercial fishing vessels
Donate to organizations monitoring and reducing tuna fishery bycatch
Reduce consumption of tuna from uncertified or problem fisheries