Sea Turtle Conservation; Shrimp Trawling Requirements

NMFS issues this temporary authorization to allow the use of limited tow times by shrimp trawlers as an alternative to the use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in certain waters off Louisiana and Alabama. The exempted area in Louisiana consists of all the Louisiana state waters east of 92[deg] 20' W. long. (approximately at Fresh Water Bayou in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana); Federal waters are not included. The exempted area in Alabama consists of the inshore waters (inshore waters are landward of the COLREGS demarcation line) of Bon Secour Bay, Mobile Bay, and Mississippi Sound, south of the Intracoastal Waterway. This exemption will be in effect for 30 days and is necessary to relieve the economic hardship on shrimpers while ensuring adequate protection of threatened and endangered sea turtles.