State and Federal Law Enforcement Team Up to Protect Endangered Sea Turtles The NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard are teaming up again this year with commercial fishermen to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles. The commercial shrimp fishing season will likely open in state waters along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts in early to mid June. Fishermen trawling in those areas are likely to encounter female sea turtles that are returning to their home nesting sites to lay eggs and juveniles of several species returning to summer foraging grounds. Federal and state regulations require fishermen to use Turtle Excluder Devices (
Law enforcement officials and gear specialists at the state and federal levels are conducting courtesy TED checks before the season opens. Through this proactive involvement in the fishing community, law enforcement officials can assure that commercial shrimp boats have the required gear in place and functioning, thereby protecting sea turtles from incidental capture in the fishery.
State and Federal Law Enforcement Team Up to Protect Endangered Sea Turtles
The NOAA Fisheries Service Office for Law Enforcement, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard are teaming up again this year with commercial fishermen to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles. The commercial shrimp fishing season will likely open in state waters along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts in early to mid June. Fishermen trawling in those areas are likely to encounter female sea turtles that are returning to their home nesting sites to lay eggs and juveniles of several species returning to summer foraging grounds. Federal and state regulations require fishermen to use Turtle Excluder Devices (
TEDs) in their nets so the surface-breathing turtles can escape the nets without being drowned.Law enforcement officials and gear specialists at the state and federal levels are conducting courtesy TED checks before the season opens. Through this proactive involvement in the fishing community, law enforcement officials can assure that commercial shrimp boats have the required gear in place and functioning, thereby protecting sea turtles from incidental capture in the fishery.