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

NMFS is imposing temporary additional restrictions on shrimp trawlers fishing in all inshore waters and offshore waters out to 12 nautical miles (nm) (22.2 km) from the COLREGS line, between the United States-Mexico border and 93 deg. W. long. This area includes all of the Texas coast and the western portion of the Louisiana coast, and includes NMFS shrimp fishery statistical Zones 17 through 21. The restrictions include prohibitions on the use by shrimp trawlers of: Soft turtle excluder devices (TEDs); try nets with a headrope length greater than 15 ft (4.6 m), unless the try nets are equipped with approved TEDs other than soft TEDs; and a webbing flap that completely covers the escape opening in NMFS-approved top-opening TEDs. This action is based upon a ruling from U.S. District Judge, Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division, in Center for Marine Conservation v. Brown, No. G-94-660 (S.D. TX, Aug. 1, 1995) in order to facilitate administration and enforcement of the court order.