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

NMFS is imposing, for a 30-day period, additional restrictions on shrimp trawlers fishing in the Atlantic Area in inshore waters and offshore waters out to 10 nautical miles (nm)(18.5 km) from the COLREGS line, between the Georgia-Florida border and the Georgia-South Carolina border. This area includes inshore and nearshore waters in NMFS fishery statistical Zone 31, a small part of the southern portion of statistical Zone 32, and approximately 18 miles (29.0 km) of the northern portion of statistical Zone 30. The restrictions include prohibitions on the use of soft turtle excluder devices (TEDs) and try nets with a headrope length greater than 12 ft (3.6 m) or a footrope length greater than 15 ft (4.5 m), unless the try nets are equipped with approved TEDs other than soft TEDs. This action is necessary to ensure protection for sea turtles and to prevent the continuation of high levels of mortality and strandings of threatened and endangered sea turtles.