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Increase Enforcement of Required Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) for Texas

Endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles face a dangerous situation in Texas this July when shrimp season opens and increased enforcement of sea turtle protection is needed. With a third of the Gulf of Mexico closed to any fishing due to the oil spill, the opening of shrimp season in Texas could result in hundreds more shrimpers trawling the waters offshore of Kemp's ridley nesting beaches and hundreds more injured, stranded, and dead sea turtles on Gulf beaches.

Preparing for the Worst

Sending a strong message now to Texas Parks and Wildlife and NOAA will ensure our message has been received while planning actions are still taking place. Every year we urge greater enforcement of TEDs, but this year the deadly duo of offshore oil and increased fishing pressure has prompted a call to all our members and allies to send a strong message that we will not stand for any more dead sea turtles in the Gulf killed by careless or negligent shrimpers.

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Send the Letter Below to Save Gulf Sea Turtles

Subject:

Your Letter:

Dear Mr. Ray and Dr. Crabtree,

This could be a disastrous summer for endangered Kemp’s ridleys, loggerheads and other sea turtles in Texas and Federal waters. Your help is required now to make plans to prevent negligent shrimpers from harming sea turtles. I am urging you now to make the necessary arrangements to ensure increased efforts to enforce proper use of required Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on all shrimp trawl nets over the next month.

Please give this matter your immediate attention and make public your plans to intercept shrimp boats from all states to check for proper installation of TEDs before they fish in Texas and Federal waters.

When the annual Texas/federal shrimping closure ends in July, hundreds of out-of-state shrimp boats will likely enter Texas waters because the oil spill cut short their own state’s shrimping season.  Texas Parks and Wildlife law enforcement recently fined four shrimp boats with TEDs improperly installed after over 30 dead Kemp’s ridleys were found on Texas shores.

Most dead turtles found on Gulf of Mexico beaches last month had not been oiled,  and past data proves they likely fell victim to shrimpers without TEDs or with TEDs not installed properly. With law enforcement officers busy elsewhere responding to the oil spill, we may never know what has killed the over 200 sea turtles with no signs of oil on them.

Thank you very much for your diligent efforts to safeguard the waters offshore of Texas for our beloved populations of endangered sea turtles.

Sincerely,

Mike Ray

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Coastal Division
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744
US

Dr. Roy Crabtree

NOAA Fisheries Service, Southwest Region
263 13th Avenue South
Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
US

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