NEWSROOM
Louisiana
Shrimpers Receive Temporary Turtle Excluder Device (TED) Exemption
Following Hurricane Katrina
October 3, 2005
The National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has granted shrimp trawlers a
temporary 30-day exemption from federal Turtle Excluder Device
(TED) requirements in certain state and federal waters off Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana.
Shrimp trawlers
fishing in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana waters westward
to the boundary of Vermilion and Cameron Parish at longitude 92
degrees and 37 minutes West and extending 50 nautical miles offshore
are now exempt from federal TED requirements through Oct. 22,
2005. In lieu of TEDs, this authorization requires shrimp trawlers
to restrict tow times to 55 minutes measured from the time trawl
doors enter the water until they are retrieved from the water,
according to NMFS.
This exemption
from federal TED requirements will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Oct.
22, 2005, unless otherwise extended by NMFS. Federal regulations
provide for the use of limited tow times as an alternative to
the use of TEDs if determined "that the presence of debris
or other special environmental conditions in a particular area
makes trawling with TED-equipped nets impracticable."
NMFS will
continue to monitor this situation. If monitoring indicates that
debris is no longer a problem, then this authorization will be
shortened. If debris continues to be a problem after the dates
above, this authorization may be extended. Fishermen should monitor
NOAA weather radio for announcements or contact the NMFS Southeast
Regional Office at 727-824-5312.
Louisiana
shrimp fishermen and LDWF marine fisheries biologists have reported
the presence of large amounts of storm related debris throughout
the impacted area. This debris primarily consists not only of
man-made debris but matted grasses, rooted clumps of marsh vegetation,
Roseau cane and branches uprooted and displaced by the storm.
The debris has severely impacted both shrimp catch and TED performance
and has damaged fishing gear as well.
<<
Back to 2005 News Page
