Wildlife Welfare

Marine Turtle Bycatch Mitigation

Sea turtles are accidentally caught in fishing gear globally, causing drowning, injury, and death that dedicated mitigation technology can reduce.

Key Facts

An estimated 250,000 sea turtles are caught in longline fisheries annually
Trawl bycatch drowns turtles when they cannot surface to breathe
Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawl nets allow turtle escape with minimal fish loss
Circle hooks in longlines reduce turtle bycatch by up to 90% compared to J-hooks
Observer programs and bycatch reporting generate data essential for mitigation planning

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch causes preventable drowning, injury, and death on a large scale. The mitigation technology exists and is proven effective - regulatory mandates and fishing practice change are the barriers remaining between the technology and widespread welfare benefit.

What You Can Do

Support seafood from fisheries using turtle excluder devices and circle hooks
Advocate for mandatory bycatch mitigation in sea turtle range areas
Support sea turtle bycatch reduction programs through donation or advocacy