Saving Seafood

NOAA Seeks Public Comment for Proposed Rule to Require Turtle Excluder Device Use for Skimmer Trawls, Pusher-Head Trawls, and Wing Nets (Butterfly Trawls)

December 16, 2016 — The following was released by NOAA:

In an effort to strengthen sea turtle conservation efforts, NOAA Fisheries is seeking comments on a newly proposed rule.  The rule, if implemented, would require all skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (butterfly trawls) to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in their nets.  A TED is a device that allows sea turtles to escape from trawl nets.  The purpose of the proposed rule is to aid in the protection and recovery of listed sea turtle populations by reducing incidental bycatch and mortality of sea turtles in the southeastern U.S. shrimp fisheries.

Vessels participating in the Biscayne Bay wing net fishery in Miami-Dade County, Florida would be exempt from this rule because they operate by sight fishing and the agency does not currently believe this fishery presents a threat to sea turtles.

To further support the proposed rule, NOAA Fisheries also prepared a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), which includes:

  • a description of the purpose and need for evaluating the proposed action and other potential management alternatives;
  • the science and data used in the analyses, background information on the physical, biological, human, and administrative environments; and
  • a description of the effects of the proposed action and other potential management alternatives.

Request for Comments

The proposed rule and a notice of availability on the DEIS were published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2016.  Written comments on the DEIS and proposed rule must be received no later than January 30 and February 14, 2017, respectively, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service.  All comments received by NOAA Fisheries Service will be addressed in the final rule and final environmental impact statement.  Electronic copies of the proposed rule or the DEIS may be obtained from the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and the NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office’s website http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pr.htm.

Public Hearings

We have scheduled six public hearings in January 2017 to solicit public comment on the proposed rule.  The dates, times, and locations of the hearings are as follows:

  1. Larose, LA – January 9, 2017, 4pm-6pm, Larose Regional Park and Civic Center, 307 East 5th Street, Larose, LA 70373.
  2. Gretna, LA – January 10, 2017, 12pm-2pm, Coastal Communities  Consulting, Inc., 925 Behrman Highway, Suite 15, Gretna, LA 70056.
  3. Belle Chasse, LA – January 10, 2017, 4pm-6pm, Belle Chasse Community Center, 8398 Highway 23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037.
  4. Biloxi, MS – January 11, 2017, 4pm-6pm, Biloxi Visitor’s Center, 1050 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi MS 39530.
  5. Bayou La Batre, AL – January 12, 2017, 10am-12pm, Bayou La Batre  Community Center, 12745 Padgett Switch Road, Bayou La Batre, AL 36509.
  6. Morehead City, NC – January 18, 2017, 12pm-2pm, Crystal Coast Civic  Center, 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557.

How to Submit Comments

You may submit comments by either of the following methods.  Comments received through other means may not be considered.

Electronic Submissions:  Federal e-Rulemaking Portal:

http://www.regulations.gov

  • Enter the following docket number into the “Search” box:  NOAA-NMFS-2016-0151.
  • Select the appropriate title, and click “Submit a Comment.”  This will display the comment webform.
  • Attachments to electronic comments (up to 10 MB) will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.

Mail:  Michael C. Barnette, NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Protected Resources Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505.

Some businesses shun Mississippi shrimp over skimmer nets

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.