NOAA WORKS WITH FISHERMEN TO PROTECT SEA

THE FLORIDA KEYS AQUEDUCT AUTHORITY IS LOOKING TO FILL POSITIONS THROUGHOUT THE KEYS

Turtles

Enforcement Officers Step Up Inspections Of Turtle Excluder Devices On Boats

Just in time for the May 19 Endangered Species Day, NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement worked with federal and state partners to protect turtles in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is home to five out of seven turtle species (hawksbill, green, loggerhead, leatherback and Kemp’s Ridley) protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, which turns 50 years old this year. From birth to adulthood, turtles face a daunting list of challenges, not the least of which is wide nets cast by commercial fishermen. There is a solution to this threat, and a federal agency is making sure it’s in working order.

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement recently conducted a joint operation aimed at protecting sea turtle species in and around the sanctuary — a key protected area in the Southeastern United States. The operation, TED TALK, brought together partners from NOAA’s Gear Monitoring Team and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to protect sea turtles by enhancing turtle excluder device (TED) inspections aboard fishing vessels.

To kick off the operation, officers participated in a TED-related training led by the gear monitoring team at the newly reopened Florida Keys Eco Discovery Center. After officers completed this training, they conducted a series of patrols and offshore boardings focused on inspecting TEDs and ensuring compliance with federal and state fishing regulations. The five-day operation targeted federal waters in the southern Gulf of Mexico, including the protected Tortugas Shrimp Sanctuary. Partners from the FWC and staff from the gear monitoring team assisted in the patrols and boardings.

During the operation, numerous vessels were boarded, with the majority found to be in compliance with TED requirements, or with minor infractions that were resolved through compliance assistance. In a few cases, TED and fishing violations were more severe and formal investigations were opened.

A TED is a grid of bars with an opening either at the top or the bottom of a trawl net. The grid is fitted into the neck of a shrimp trawl. Small animals such as shrimp pass through the bars and are caught in the bag end of the trawl. When larger animals, such as sea turtles and sharks, are captured in the trawl, they strike the grid bars and are ejected through the opening.

Through the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, a system of 15 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments has been developed that seeks to protect America’s most iconic natural and cultural marine resources. Protected within these are important habitats like breeding and feeding grounds, coral reefs, kelp forests, and important artifacts.

“It is our job to enforce the rules and regulations designed to conserve these marine protected areas and the species that inhabit them,” said Manny Antonaras, assistant director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division. “By working with partner enforcement agencies we promote responsible and sustainable ocean use that helps preserve these special places for future generations.”

To report suspected violations of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, call NOAA’s Law Enforcement Hotline, available 24/7 at 800-8531964.

— Contributed

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