The Atlanta Journal-Constitution • May 25, 2002 A federal agency took emergency action Friday aimed at saving rare sea turtles from drowning in shrimp nets off Georgia and other Southern states. For the next 30 days, shrimpers operating in federal waters between Cape Fear, N.C., and St. Augustine, Fla., will be banned from dragging at night. They must also equip their nets with devices designed to allow even the largest sea turtles to escape.
Chris Smith, spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service in St. Petersburg, Fla., said the action was needed because of high numbers of turtle deaths recently. From May 5 through May 19, 90 turtles -- including threatened loggerheads and endangered Kemp's ridleys and leatherbacks -- washed ashore on Georgia's beaches. That's five times more than in a comparable period last year, said Mark Dodd of the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Natural Resources department.
Smith said the scope of the problem mandated quick response. "Everyone in headquarters realized we were coming up on a long weekend, so if the rule didn't get enacted Friday, Tuesday would be the earliest anything would happen. Who knows how many more turtles would have died?" he said.
The rule will remain in effect through June 23. Smith said all Coast Guard units between Virginia and Miami have been notified to enforce the rule. State and federal authorities say most of the turtles probably died in the nets of 25 to 30 large Gulf Coast boats plying waters east of Georgia.
Smith predicted most of the Gulf Coast boats will head home now that the emergency rule is in place, because few carry the required turtle excluders.
Reprinted from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Online. © 2002 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rule aims to protect sea turtles from nets
Jingle Davis - Staff