Sea Turtle Welfare in Longline Fisheries Bycatch

All seven sea turtle species are caught as bycatch in longline fisheries targeting tuna and swordfish, causing drowning, hook injuries, and significant welfare harm at a global scale.

Key Facts

An estimated 200,000 sea turtles are caught annually as bycatch in global longline fisheries
All seven sea turtle species are listed as Threatened or Endangered on the IUCN Red List
Hook ingestion and entanglement cause internal injuries, buoyancy problems, and drowning
Circle hooks and fish bait significantly reduce sea turtle bycatch compared to J-hooks and squid bait
Turtle excluder devices in trawl nets prevent turtle entanglement in shrimp fisheries

Welfare Considerations

Sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries causes significant welfare harm through drowning when turtles are held underwater beyond their dive time, traumatic hook injuries requiring surgical removal, and entanglement stress. Turtles that are alive when retrieved can be released with hooks removed, but internal hook damage may cause delayed mortality from infection and internal injuries. Circle hooks reduce hookings by approximately 85% compared to J-hooks with no significant reduction in target fish catch, making adoption of circle hooks one of the most impactful welfare improvements available to longline fisheries.

What You Can Do

Choose tuna and swordfish products from MSC-certified fisheries that require circle hooks and fish bait
Advocate for mandatory circle hook requirements in longline fisheries in your country
Support Sea Turtle Conservancy and WWF sea turtle bycatch reduction programmes
Engage with seafood suppliers on requiring bycatch mitigation standards in their supply chains
Donate to sea turtle rehabilitation centres that treat bycatch injuries