Sea turtle bycatch in longline and trawl fisheries kills tens of thousands of turtles annually, with survivors of entanglement experiencing significant welfare harm even when released.
Sea turtle bycatch welfare involves both acute suffering during entanglement and delayed welfare impacts from injuries that impair long-term survival. Turtles captured in longlines experience the stress of entanglement and may be held in this position for hours before line retrieval. Hook ingestion causes internal injury, infection, and potential blockage. Trawl entanglement can result in drowning if the trawl duration exceeds the turtle's breath-hold capacity. Turtles that are released alive may appear to swim away normally but subsequently die from internal injuries or blood vessel damage caused by rapid pressure changes. Turtle Excluder Devices are a proven technological solution that significantly reduces bycatch mortality without major fishing efficiency impacts, making their adoption a straightforward welfare improvement.