May 25, 2016 — Thousands of restaurants and stores across America could be shying away from some Mississippi caught shrimp because a small portion of the shrimp fleet isn’t taking steps to save sea turtles, a watchdog group says.
None of the boats that fish Mississippi waters using skimmer trawls, which allow the net to rise above the water to catch shrimp that can jump over the more prevalent “otter” nets, are required to use turtle excluder devices that allow turtles to escape the nets before they drown. The theory is the nets are emptied more often and therefore the turtles won’t drown.
Oceana, the watchdog group, released a report Tuesday on the effects of using TEDs on sea turtles and bycatch, the portion of the catch that’s gets swept up with the shrimp then discarded. It said the vast majority of Mississippi shrimpers, including most of the boats using skimmers, use TEDs. But because skimmers aren’t required to use them, Seafood Watch, a group that ranks seafood according to its sustainability, has put skimmer-caught seafood on its red, or avoid, list.