Welfare of Sea Turtles in Bycatch

Sea turtles are killed and injured as bycatch in fisheries globally, and technical solutions exist that can dramatically reduce this mortality.

Key Facts

All seven sea turtle species are threatened or endangered partly due to fishing bycatch
Longline fisheries are estimated to capture 200,000 sea turtles annually globally
Circle hooks reduce sea turtle bycatch by 80-90% compared to conventional J-hooks
Turtle Excluder Devices in shrimp trawls reduce turtle capture by over 97%

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch welfare involves both immediate injury and prolonged suffering. Turtles hooked on longlines may drown before gear is hauled, or surface with hooks deeply embedded in the esophagus or gut. Trawl-captured turtles may suffer oxygen deprivation during submersion times. For turtles that survive, hook removal or entanglement injuries cause infections and long-term health compromise. The welfare and conservation solution is highly convergent: TEDs and circle hooks are effective, affordable, and widely mandated but inconsistently enforced. Consumer seafood choice and fisheries certification that requires their use creates market incentive for compliance.

What You Can Do

Choose seafood certified under schemes requiring turtle-safe fishing gear such as MSC
Support mandatory TED and circle hook requirements in fisheries legislation
Donate to sea turtle bycatch research and gear innovation organizations
Advocate for enforcement of existing turtle-safe gear requirements in major fishing fleets