Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction and Welfare

Sea turtles are accidentally caught in fishing gear worldwide, with longlines, trawls, and gill nets causing significant mortality and injury, while turtle excluder devices and other innovations offer effective solutions.

Key Facts

Six of seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered, with bycatch a leading cause of mortality
Longline fishing for tuna and swordfish catches large numbers of loggerhead and leatherhead turtles
Turtle excluder devices installed in shrimp trawls allow turtles to escape while retaining target catch
Circle hooks on longlines reduce sea turtle bycatch by up to 85% compared to standard J-hooks
Sea turtles that survive entanglement may suffer from injuries, flipper loss, and lung damage from forced submersion

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtles caught in fishing gear experience acute welfare suffering from entanglement, drowning, and injury. Turtles are air-breathing reptiles that drown when held underwater by nets and longlines. Animals that are retrieved alive may have sustained internal injuries from pressure changes, flipper entanglement damage, and ingested hooks. Even when released alive, hook ingestion can cause internal injury and slow death over days to weeks. Bycatch reduction measures including circle hooks and turtle excluder devices simultaneously protect turtle populations and reduce individual welfare suffering.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programs requiring sea turtle bycatch reduction measures
Support organizations working on sea turtle bycatch monitoring and reduction globally
Advocate for mandatory turtle excluder devices and circle hooks in relevant fisheries
Report sea turtle strandings to local marine wildlife authorities for assessment and care
Donate to sea turtle conservation organizations conducting rescue and rehabilitation work