Bycatch and non-target fishing is one of the issues that Ecuador, within its framework of international commitments and agreements, has decided must be urgently addressed. Bycatch refers to the unintended capture of fish and marine species and may include undesired species, species without economic value, and/or protected species. Endangered species bycatch in Ecuadorian artisanal fisheries is having drastic negative effects on marine wildlife. Of sea turtle bycatch within artisanal gillnet fisheries of the Southeast Pacific (Ecuador, Peru, and Chile), 87% occurs in Ecuador alone, which equates to approximately 40,480 sea turtles every year. Threatened and endangered species affected by fisheries bycatch include 5 sea turtle species, 4 marine mammal species, 11 elasmobranch (shark and ray) species, and 3 seabird species.