Gulf Shrimpers Snagging Imperiled Sea Turtles
(Posted September 26, 2011 07:25 am)
By Les Coleman
TALLAHASSEE, FL - According to federal documents, shrimp boat nets in the Gulf of Mexico are still scooping up endangered sea turtles along with their catch, according to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). A device called a "turtle excluder" has been designed to keep turtles out of the fishing gear. But NWF chief biologist, Dr. Doug Inkley, says many shrimpers are violating the law by using them improperly - or are not using them at all.
"It's
lax in many areas, and it needs to be enforced. Those
sea turtle excluder devices are very effective at
keeping turtles from getting caught in shrimp trawler
nets while allowing the catch of shrimp to be very
effective."
The turtle excluder devices are metal grids that
allow the sea turtles to push their way out. But shrimp
boat captains complain when the turtles free themselves,
some of their catch is also lost. NWF says one federal
document rated the status of gulf sea turtles as "poor."
In one Louisiana port where shrimp boats were boarded,
only three out of 29 vessels were using the turtle
excluders, which are supposed to be mandatory, Inkley
says.
"A lot of people still resist the idea of using these
turtle excluder devices and deny they are really having
an impact on sea turtles. The fact of the matter is,
science has shown - we know."
He acknowledges that the Gulf Coast disaster put a lot
of stress on communities and ecosystems, but says that
is no excuse for not following the law, especially when
failure to do so is putting sea turtles at risk.