Unintended Victims: A Systematic Review of Global Marine Turtle By-Catch in Fisheries

Incidental capture (bycatch) is a major threat to all seven marine turtle species worldwide. This systematic review assessed (i) research trends over the past 20 years; (ii) relationships between fishery types, gear, and species caught; (iii) post-capture outcomes; and (iv) challenges in bycatch mitigation. A systematic search of Web of Science and Scopus up to April 2024 identified 236 studies, comprising 336,616 global bycatch records. Publications on turtle bycatch increased significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.001), peaking in 2020. Reported captures also rose (ρ = 0.45; <i>p</i> = 0.026), with <i>Caretta caretta</i> most frequently documented (74.8%). Methodology influenced outcomes: aerial monitoring and direct observation underestimated captures of <i>Chelonia mydas</i>, <i>Lepidochelys kempii</i>, and <i>Eretmochelys imbricata</i> compared with mixed methods; interviews only affected the latter. Regarding fishery interactions, <i>Dermochelys coriacea</i> was more susceptible to hook-and-line fishing (<i>p</i> = 0.0079), while <i>C. mydas</i> was more associated with small-scale fisheries (<i>p</i> = 0.0115). Most turtles were released after capture (60.6%), with no significant temporal variation in outcomes (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Despite growing monitoring, knowledge gaps remain in standardized reporting, regional and species coverage, and methodological integration. Addressing these issues is essential to guide effective, collaborative conservation strategies.