Wildlife Conservation

Wild Sea Turtle Bycatch Welfare and Mitigation

Sea turtle bycatch in commercial fishing operations causes significant mortality and injury, with turtle excluder devices and circle hooks offering proven mitigation tools.

Key Facts

An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally caught in fisheries annually worldwide
Longline fishing poses the greatest threat to open-ocean species including leatherbacks and loggerheads
Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) reduce sea turtle bycatch by over 97% without reducing fish catch
Circle hooks reduce sea turtle bycatch on longlines by 80-90% compared to J-hooks
All seven sea turtle species are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtles caught in fishing gear may drown if unable to surface, or sustain hook injuries to flippers, throat, and digestive tract that cause prolonged suffering and secondary infection. Entanglement in ghost fishing gear - lost nets and lines - is a slow death by drowning or progressive injury. Turtles that are released alive but have ingested hooks require veterinary intervention to prevent internal damage from hook migration.

What You Can Do

Support Oceana and Sea Turtle Conservancy campaigns for TED requirements
Choose seafood certified by programs with sea turtle bycatch standards
Report entangled sea turtles to NOAA or local wildlife authorities immediately
Participate in beach cleanup programs that reduce marine debris entanglement risk