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Demand the Shrimp Trawl Fishery Stop Killing Sea Turtles!

Thank you to the thousands of supporters who joined us in calling for a halt to the sea turtle killings by the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery before the August 23 deadline! You can still sign-on below to be added to our list of sea turtle supporters.

The Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery has been the leading killer of endangered sea turtles in the U.S. since the 1980s, drowning thousands of innocent sea turtles each year. Take action today to demand an immediate overhaul of this fishery to increase sea turtle protections!

Give Sea Turtles a Break from Trawling

The shrimp fishery must give sea turtles a break and temporarily stop trawling when sea turtles are abundant during nesting season. Most states close the shrimp trawl fishery for one to two months each year, but shrimping beyond state lines never stops!

Require TEDs on All Trawls - Close the Deadly Loophole

If endangered sea turtles are to recover in the Gulf, all trawls must have TEDs.
Skimmer trawls are not required to use TEDs in their nets. Once uncommon, they currently outnumber other trawls by three to one in Louisiana, where shrimpers deliberately exploit this deadly loophole.

Shrimpers Rig Nets to Kill Sea Turtles

Enforcement of TEDs laws have become so lax in recent years that shrimpers were recently caught sewing the sea turtle escape hatch shut or failing to install a TED at all. Click here to access all the details.

Take action before August 23 to shape the future of the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery.

Subject:

Your Letter:

Dear National Marine Fisheries Service,

I support an immediate overhaul of the Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery to increase measures for the protection of endangered sea turtles. Specifically, I urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to
1)	Require Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in all trawl nets, including skimmers, butterfly, wing, and try nets;
2)	Implement mandatory closures of the fishery April through July when sea turtle abundance in shrimping zones is highest;
3)	Increase TEDs enforcement to ensure 100 percent compliance with federal regulation at all times in all states;
4)	Increase observer coverage on shrimp trawl vessels to 50 percent or greater to track improvements and collect new data; and
5)	Reduce the number of federal shrimp trawl licenses, reduce the size of their nets, and require Vessel Monitoring Systems on all vessels.

The actions above are supported by similar actions already implemented in Texas, which prove that seasonal time and area closures, improved TED law enforcement, and reducing the fleet size can save the lives of sea turtles and support a profitable shrimp fishery.

If sea turtle strandings spike again like they did this March and April I urge NMFS to immediately halt all shrimp trawling until 100% TED compliance can be demonstrated.

The Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery is documented as the leading killer of endangered sea turtles since records began in the 1980s, and this must stop immediately. I urge swift and decisive action to finalize new rules to expand TED use, TED law enforcement, and begin mandatory time and area closures of the shrimp trawl fishery before 2012.

Sincerely,

Michael Barnette

NMFS, Southeast Regional Office
Southeast Regional Office, Protected Resources Division
263 13th Ave. South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505
US

First Name*

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Make the biggest impact with a personal email letter! Written comments on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be sent electronically via e-mail to Michael.Barnette@noaa.gov

or physically via U.S. mail to

Michael Barnette, Southeast Regional Office, Protected Resources Division, 263 13th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505.

Additional information, including the EIS scoping document, can be found at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/regulations.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Barnette, NMFS, Southeast Regional Office, at the address above, or at (727) 824-5312.

Californians - Help Pass the Leatherback Bill in the Senate!

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