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How do fishing nets and longline hooks threaten leatherback sea turtles?

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Illustrations of ten representative chelonians, including spiny softshell turtle, Galapagos giant tortoise, green turtle, alligator snapping turtle, Blanding's turtle, common map turtle, eastern box turtle, eastern painted turtle, spotted turtle, and eastern mud turtle, each labeled with its common and scientific name. A scale bar at the bottom shows size comparison. — turtle Turtles (order Testudines).

Fishing nets and longline hooks pose a significant threat to leatherback sea turtles primarily through the process of bycatch, where these animals are captured unintentionally during commercial fishing operations.12

Entanglement in Nets: Leatherbacks often become ensnared in various types of fishing nets, such as trawls, gill nets, and shrimp nets. Once trapped, these turtles are frequently unable to surface to breathe, which can lead to drowning.12
Longline Hooks: These turtles are also caught on longline hooks—heavy fishing lines that can extend for miles with numerous baited hooks. Like net entanglement, being hooked is a major hazard that contributes to population declines.12
Physical Trauma: Even when turtles are not immediately killed by drowning, the physical trauma and stress caused by being dragged in a net packed with other marine life often prove fatal by the time the animals are hauled onto a boat deck.2

To address these threats, researchers and organizations are developing technologies like turtle excluder devices, which allow turtles to escape from nets, and are working to monitor migration patterns to avoid high-risk fishing areas.12