Wildlife Bycatch in Commercial Fishing: Scale, Impacts, and Mitigation

Documenting the vast scale of non-target wildlife killed or injured in commercial fishing operations and progress in reducing these impacts.

Key Facts

Estimated 300,000 cetaceans die as bycatch in fishing gear globally each year
Sea turtles, seabirds, sharks, and non-target fish species are also caught in massive numbers
Gillnets, longlines, trawls, and purse seines each present different bycatch challenges
Acoustic deterrents called pingers can reduce cetacean bycatch in some fisheries
Circle hooks and bait changes substantially reduce sea turtle and seabird longline bycatch
Observer programs provide critical data on bycatch rates but cover only a fraction of fishing effort

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife bycatch represents one of the largest sources of suffering and mortality in the marine environment, affecting hundreds of species and billions of individuals annually. Animals caught as bycatch may drown, sustain severe injuries, or spend extended periods suffering in gear before being discarded. The welfare dimension of bycatch is often overlooked in conservation-focused bycatch reduction efforts, but the suffering of individual animals deserves consideration alongside population-level impacts. Many mitigation technologies exist but adoption is hampered by cost, regulatory gaps, and inadequate enforcement.

What You Can Do

Choose certified sustainable seafood from fisheries with low documented bycatch rates
Support organizations advocating for mandatory bycatch reduction measures in commercial fisheries
Advocate for expanded at-sea observer programs to improve bycatch monitoring
Support research into cost-effective bycatch mitigation technologies for small-scale fisheries