Sea Turtle Conservation; Restrictions Applicable to Shrimp Trawling Activities; Additional Turtle Excluder Device Requirements Within Certain Statistical Zones

NMFS is temporarily imposing additional restrictions on fishing by shrimp trawlers in Gulf of Mexico offshore waters out to 10 nautical miles (nm)(18.5 km) from the COLREGS line, along 2 sections of the Texas and Louisiana coasts, between 27 deg. N. lat. and 28 deg. N. lat. and between 95 deg.13' W. long. and 93 deg.20.5' W. long. for a 30-day period. This area includes nearshore waters in shrimp fishery statistical zones 18 and 20, the western portion of zone 17 east to Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana and the extreme northeastern portion of Zone 19. The restrictions include prohibition of the use of soft turtle excluder devices (TEDs), the use of bottom opening TEDs, the use of webbing flaps that completely cover the escape opening of TEDs, and the use of try nets by shrimp trawlers, unless the try nets are equipped with NMFS-approved TEDs other than soft or bottom-opening TEDs. This action is necessary to prevent the continuation of high levels of mortality and strandings of threatened and endangered sea turtles.