WELCOME TO BILL'S CORNER!July 2004 | (archive)Dear Constituents: Each week I get stacks of letters about a variety of issues, but nothing tops the volume of mail I receive about sea turtles. Your concern for these critters is a testament to how much our country values the ancient “ambassadors of the sea.” To that end, this month’s discussion is dedicated to letting you know about some recent initiatives the United States has undertaken to protect sea turtles. This month, President Bush signed into law the Marine Turtle Conservation Act, authorizing federal funds for the conservation of sea turtles and their nesting beaches in foreign countries. This is great news, because the funding will provide for more coordination of turtle conservation efforts on land, in areas of the world where resources are limited. Many activities throughout the world have contributed to sea turtle declines, including development of nesting beaches, killing of turtles for food, and incidental capture in commercial fisheries (primarily shrimp trawls, longlines, and gillnets). Working with our fishing and turtle conservation constituents, we have made substantial progress in identifying and reducing human threats to turtle populations, and that work continues today. Because sea turtle decline is a global problem and the United States accounts for just part of the total impacts, our conservation programs are international in scope. We have seen how the required use of turtle excluder devices in shrimp fisheries – in conjunction with full protection of nesting beaches in Mexico – is beginning the recovery of endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. Shrimp is the top-consumed seafood in America, and we import nearly 80 percent of our consumption. So, in addition to requiring our domestic shrimpers to use turtle excluder devices in trawl nets, countries wishing to export wild-caught shrimp to the United States must also use these devices. Our domestic law has been in effect for almost 15 years, and we continue to improve the excluder devices. Just last year, we began requiring larger escape openings to allow even the largest turtles out of the nets. These larger openings will be required for foreign producers starting August 1st. You may have been reading about sea turtles lately, from the recent Sunday comic strip, “Mark Trail,” to several articles focusing on new regulations to protect turtles in Atlantic pelagic longline fisheries. In January, we announced that, after three years of extensive research, we developed gear and techniques to help longline fishermen avoid interactions with turtles. American longline fisheries in portions of the Pacific and in the North Atlantic Grand Banks had been closed during those three years at great social and economic cost to the industry, impacting everyone from the deck hand to the retailer. We realized, however, that closing these turtle-rich waters to American fishermen would not necessarily benefit turtles, because other nations continued longline operations without the use of turtle-friendly gear. So, we went to work with our fishermen, gear specialists, and partners in academia to develop new fishing practices and turtle dehookers. During our research, we found that sea turtle captures and injuries could be substantially reduced by prohibiting the use of traditional “J” hooks, which cause serious harm when swallowed by turtles, and replacing them with large circle hooks. Because of their shape, circle hooks are much less likely to catch turtles or to cause serious injury if a turtle does try to take the bait. I am pleased that we found a solution that allowed us to reopen the waters in the Pacific and Atlantic, put American fishermen back to work, and promote sea turtle conservation globally. As we worked on the research and on developing the regulations for our domestic industry, it was critical for us to demonstrate to other countries that longline fisheries could use these tangible and effective methods of protecting turtles and still remain profitable. Effective August 5, the U.S. Atlantic pelagic longline fleet will be prohibited from using old-style “J” hooks anywhere in the Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, and longline boats will be required to have on board and use a suite of new gear that facilitates the safe handling and release of turtles. In addition, we are taking every opportunity to share this news with other countries. We have held education workshops in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, and Mexico, and have more scheduled for next month in Guatemala, followed by Panama in the fall. We will also begin a series of training workshops for our fishermen this month. This is by far one of the most exciting initiatives we have undertaken, and one that will speed up the recovery of sea turtles. I want to thank you for your awareness and concern for sea turtles, and for your support of our conservation efforts. And keep those letters coming!
 Bill Hogarth Director, National Marine Fisheries Service References President Bush Signs Sea Turtle Conservation Act: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile- Mark Trail Comic Featuring Circle Hooks and Turtle Conservation: Announcement: NOAA Fisheries Bans “J” Hooks in Atlantic
Longline Fisheries: Three-year Sea Turtle Study Web Site: NOAA Fisheries’ National Bycatch Web site: |
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