Technological innovations in fishing gear design are reducing bycatch of non-target species, providing significant welfare benefits for seabirds, marine mammals, turtles, and non-target fish.
Key Facts
Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in shrimp trawls reduce turtle bycatch by over 97%
Streamer lines (tori lines) on longlines reduce seabird bycatch by 80-95% in some fisheries
LED lights on gillnet top lines reduce bycatch of small cetaceans by alerting porpoises to nets
Circle hooks in longline fisheries reduce sea turtle bycatch and improve target species catch quality
Bycatch reduction technology provides direct welfare benefits to millions of non-target animals annually by reducing entanglement and drowning. Turtle excluder devices have been one of the most successful bycatch reduction technologies - dramatically reducing turtle drowning in shrimp trawl fisheries with minimal impact on target species catch. Acoustic deterrents protect harbour porpoises from gillnet entanglement which causes drowning deaths. Tori lines and night-setting on longlines protect albatrosses from hook mortality. These technologies demonstrate that significant bycatch welfare improvement is achievable with appropriate gear modification and adoption. The barrier is often economic - compliance costs and productivity impacts during transition.
What You Can Do
Choose seafood certified by MSC or equivalent schemes that require bycatch reduction measures
Support legislation requiring bycatch reduction technology adoption in high-impact fisheries
Advocate for subsidies supporting fishing fleet transition to bycatch-reduced gear
Donate to ocean conservation organizations campaigning for bycatch reduction requirements
Follow bycatch reduction technology development to understand the current state of solutions