Marine Wildlife

Wild Turtle Sea Bycatch Reduction Technology

Sea turtles are caught as bycatch in fisheries globally. Technology interventions including turtle excluder devices and modified hooks significantly reduce mortality.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered
Longline and trawl fisheries cause an estimated 250,000 sea turtle bycatch events annually
Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) allow turtles to escape trawl nets
Circle hooks reduce sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries by up to 85%
LED lights on nets help turtles see and avoid gillnets

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtles caught as bycatch experience drowning, hook wounds, and net entanglement that cause suffering and death. Technological solutions that reduce bycatch are both conservation and welfare interventions. The adoption of TEDs, circle hooks, and other gear modifications prevents enormous welfare harm to sea turtles.

What You Can Do

Support organisations campaigning for mandatory TEDs and circle hooks in fisheries
Choose seafood certified to standards requiring bycatch reduction
Advocate for international agreements requiring bycatch mitigation technology