Wildlife

Marine Turtle Bycatch in Fisheries

Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are accidentally caught in fishing gear each year, making bycatch one of the leading threats to already-endangered turtle populations.

Key Facts

An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are incidentally caught annually
Longline fisheries targeting tuna and swordfish have high turtle encounter rates
Turtle excluder devices on trawl nets reduce bycatch by over 90%
Turtles caught in nets may drown within minutes without surfacing access
All seven sea turtle species are caught as bycatch globally

Welfare Considerations

Turtles entangled in nets or hooked on longlines experience drowning, physical trauma from hooks, and stress from extended entanglement. Many die before boats return to port. Those that survive handling often have flipper injuries, hook wounds, or psychological trauma from confinement. The scale of incidental capture represents a major welfare burden on ancient, long-lived, highly sentient reptiles.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by MSC or equivalent with bycatch reduction requirements
Support policies mandating turtle excluder devices on all trawl fisheries
Advocate for circle hook requirements on longline fisheries in your region
Donate to sea turtle monitoring and bycatch research programs
Avoid purchasing seafood from fisheries with documented high turtle bycatch rates