Fishing activities are another ever-present threat.

Sea turtles often drown after becoming entangled in nets and fishing line, or being ensnared on long-lines. They can also become entangled in discarded fishing line and ‘ghost nets’ - nets that are discarded or accidentally washed overboard and that often float at sea for years.

Even with changes to legislation, which now requires commercial trawlers to include Turtle Excluder Devices (TED’s), sea turtles may still be caught accidentally in nets by this industry and it is yet to be established how

successful the use of TED’s has been. Shark control programs that use baited hooks or nets can cause incidental death by snagging and entanglement.