Wild Animal Welfare

Wild Sea Turtle Bycatch Reduction

Sea turtles face significant bycatch mortality in longline and trawl fisheries - targeted gear modifications dramatically reduce capture and injury rates.

Key Facts

Circle hooks reduce sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries by up to 90% compared to J-hooks
Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in trawl nets allow turtle escape with minimal catch loss
Over 250,000 turtles are caught as bycatch annually in global fisheries
Entanglement and longline hook injuries cause drowning, internal injuries, and slow death
Observer programmes and electronic monitoring enable bycatch assessment and accountability

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch causes real individual suffering through drowning, hook ingestion, and entanglement injury. Gear modification technology that dramatically reduces capture rates is available and cost-effective - adoption is a welfare and conservation imperative.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or similar bycatch standards
Support organisations campaigning for mandatory turtle excluder devices
Advocate for observer coverage in high-bycatch fisheries operating in turtle habitat