Billions of non-target animals die as bycatch annually. Technological innovations including modified gear, LED lights and acoustic deterrents are dramatically reducing this mortality.
Bycatch mortality represents one of the largest discrete sources of animal suffering in commercial activities globally. Animals caught as bycatch experience suffocation, barotrauma, exhaustion and stress before dying or being discarded. Technological solutions now exist that dramatically reduce bycatch for most major non-target species at modest cost to fishers. The challenge is adoption: mandatory requirements work better than voluntary uptake. Consumer pressure through seafood certification and policy advocacy accelerates change.