NMFS issues this document to allow use of 55-minute tow times by shrimp trawlers in inshore waters in Alabama as an alternative to the requirement to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). This area was affected by Hurricane Danny on and about July 19, 1997. NMFS has been notified by the Director of the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that large amounts of debris in Alabama's bays as a result of the hurricane are causing extraordinary difficulty with the performance of TEDs. NMFS will monitor the situation to ensure that there is adequate protection for sea turtles in this area and to determine whether impacts from the hurricane continue to make TED use impracticable.