Sea turtle bycatch in longline, trawl, and gillnet fisheries kills and injures hundreds of thousands of turtles annually, causing massive welfare harm.
Sea turtles entangled in fishing gear face drowning, hook ingestion causing internal injury and infection, and entrapment resulting in dehydration and starvation if nets are not retrieved. Turtles that survive entanglement may have serious wounds from monofilament cutting through flippers, leading to amputation or permanent disability. Cold stunning - hypothermia from rapid temperature drops - causes tens of thousands of strandings annually, requiring rescue and rehabilitation. The scale of bycatch mortality means sea turtle populations remain depressed despite legal protection. Bycatch reduction technologies are available and cost-effective but require regulatory mandate for widespread adoption.