In February 2025, CIBBRiNA co-hosted a joint workshop with ICES, Marine Beacon and REDUCE on mitigation measures to minimise marine turtle bycatch.
The 2-day workshop, WKTURTLE, aimed to synthesise information on marine turtle bycatch in European fisheries, review current mitigation techniques and their effectiveness, and support policy development.
Europe’s waters are home to several marine turtle species, which are all considered threatened to varying degrees according to the IUCN Red List. They include:
- Green turtle
- Hawksbill turtle
- Leatherback turtle
- Loggerhead turtle
- Kemp’s ridley turtle
- Olive ridley turtle
Our new report summarises key findings, recommendations and gaps as well as proposing actions for better management of turtle bycatch, all of which should be grounded in collaboration with fishers.
Key recommendations include:
- Increasing observer coverage and standardizing bycatch data reporting across EU member states.
- Enhancing regional cooperation and data sharing frameworks.
- Implementing wider use of selective gears such as Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in pelagic and bottom trawl fisheries.
- Promoting the use of proven mitigation techniques through regulatory incentives and training.
- Supporting further research on species distribution, gear modification, and data sharing frameworks.
Graham Pierce, CIBBRiNA co-coordinator and co-author of the report, commented, “There is a lot of knowledge out there about mitigation of turtle bycatch, including cautionary tales about how a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work when it comes to handling hooked individuals. However, more data would help us better protect turtles, particularly in relation to the chances of survival of those caught alive and released. In the future, we should also prioritise further work on methods to assess the impacts of bycatch on turtle populations.”
Find the full report on the ICES website.