Sea turtles face severe threats from accidental capture in fishing gear, causing drowning, injury, and death in all seven species worldwide.
Sea turtles caught in fishing gear experience extreme stress, physical injury, and drowning. Longline hooks can cause internal injuries when swallowed, and the stress of capture triggers immune suppression that makes turtles vulnerable to secondary infections. Fibropapillomatosis, a tumor disease, may be exacerbated by immune stress from repeated bycatch interactions. The slow reproductive rate of sea turtles means each individual lost represents significant population impact.