Marine and Wildlife Welfare

Sea Turtle Entanglement in Fishing Gear

Sea turtle bycatch in fishing gear causes drowning, injuries and population-level impacts across all species.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are at risk from fisheries bycatch
Longlines, trawls and gillnets all capture significant numbers of turtles
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawls dramatically reduce bycatch
Circle hooks and fish bait rather than squid reduce longline turtle catches
Observer programmes to monitor bycatch are absent from many fisheries

Welfare Considerations

Turtles caught in fishing gear suffer from drowning, entanglement injuries and stress. When rescued alive, many have internal injuries that cause delayed mortality. Gear modification and avoidance of turtle aggregations are the most effective mitigations.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by programmes that verify bycatch reduction measures
Support campaigns for mandatory Turtle Excluder Devices in trawl fisheries
Advocate for expansion of fisheries observer programmes to document bycatch