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Bycatch

For every four pounds of fish they catch, fishers worldwide throw away more than a pound of other animals. And in some types of gear, like shrimp trawls, the ratio is even worse: for every pound of shrimp, four or more pounds of unwanted animals die. From sea turtles to sharks, commercial fishing kills millions of animals each year as bycatch.

Bycatch refers to fish and other marine life caught "incidentally" in the pursuit of another species. High levels of bycatch usually results from use of fishing gear and practices that are not selective.

Due to their size, marine animals like sea turtles are caught as bycatch frequently. Also considered bycatch are economically unimportant but ecologically important life like starfish, sponges and skates. Even fish of the target species, but undesired sex, size or quality are often discarded as bycatch.

What We're Doing to Help

Ocean Conservancy works worldwide with fishermen and others to reduce the killing of marine wildlife as bycatch. Fifteen years of dedicated effort madeTurtle Excluder Devices a reality in all southeastern U.S. shrimp trawls—allowing thousands of turtles to escape from nets that could have drownedthem. And we worked to revise the Marine Mammal Protection Act to reduce the number of harbor porpoises killed as bycatch in gill nets. Before this revision, some 2,000 porpoises were killed each year. The year after the law passed, just 342 porpoises died—still too many—but a level low enough to ensure their survival.

What You Can Do to Help

Join our Ocean Action Network! We'll send you ocean action alerts when your help is needed.

© Copyright 2010 Ocean Conservancy
The Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Action Network are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy.

Visit www.oceanconservancy.org/contactus for regional office addresses and email information.

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The Ocean Conservancy, International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Action Network are registered trademarks of Ocean Conservancy.

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