Coral Triangle

With every vessel that returns to port with a hold full of fish, the fisheries industry feeds the people and the economies of Coral Triangle nations.

But the industry could play an even bigger role by bringing an end to wasteful bycatch, one of the most severe threats facing oceans and fisheries.

Every year, millions of kilograms of non-target fish species are caught in nets and are thrown back into the sea. This bycatch often consists of endangered species such as sharks, juvenile tunas and marine turtles.

Turtle bycatch is also a key element of the illegal trade in these species, providing the raw materials for traffic of stuffed turtles, turtle shells, curios and turtle meat.

WWF is working to:

• Giving endangered species an escape route
  Simple equipment such as the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) allow turtles entering the trawl net to escape. These devices can increase the catch quality in trials in some fisheries. For smaller non-target species, the Juvenile Trash Excluder Devices excludes fish smaller than the target species.
  
  
• Providing onboard observer programs
  By providing data on catch rates and fish catch composition, observers help assess the ecological impacts a fishery may have and assist managers in mitigating them. They also provide a systematic way of trialing circle hooks with industry, building trust and support among fishing communities, managers and seafood companies. WWF and its partners are carrying out a variety of observer programs across the Coral Triangle.
  
  
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  Circle hook. The use of circle-shaped hooks instead of commonly used J-shaped hooks can significantly reduce the bycatch of turtles in longline fisheries. United States of America
  © WWF-US / Jill Hatzai

  Introduce new hooks to reduce marine turtle bycatch
  Replacing traditional “J” hooks with "circle" hooks can reduce bycatch rates by up to 80 percent. In 2006, a trial in Indonesia found that circle hooks significantly reduced the catch of marine turtles in longline fisheries, without reducing target catch.
  
  
• Providing turtle de-hooking and handling training
  With a few basic skills, fishers can remove hooks from turtles using “de-hookers”, rescue them from entanglement, and handle them when injured. WWF has carried out a variety of training programs in longline fisheries across the Coral Triangle in turtle de-hooking, rescue and handling techniques.
  
  
• Creating enabling policies
  In addition to introducing, testing and implementing bycatch-reducing technologies with fishing communities, WWF is working at national and regional levels to secure stronger policies and regulations on bycatch. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that solutions such as circle hooks, TEDs and observer programs become standard practice across the region.
  
  
• Developing industry partnerships
  WWF is working with a growing number of seafood companies and retailers seeking to improve the sustainability of Coral Triangle fisheries. Collaboration includes support of observer program and circle hook trials, improving economic incentives for the use of bycatch-reducing technology and sourcing of more responsible seafood products.