NOAA, USCG and FWC partner in 3-day operation to protect sea turtles in the Florida Keys
NOAA Fisheries photos: (left) Federal and state officers conducting a pre-operational brief in Key West, Florida. (right) NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and FWC officers measuring a turtle excluder device on a commercial shrimp vessel.
For the second consecutive year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement organized and led a 3-day joint operation, prior to May 14, 2024, aimed at protecting endangered sea turtles in and around the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a key protected area in the Southeast.
The operation brought together federal and state partners, with a goal of enhancing turtle excluder device (TED) inspections to protect sea turtles and ensure commercial shrimp boats are fishing with allowable gear.
Participating partners included NOAA’s Gear Monitoring Team, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) - a new additions to this year’s training, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
“Ensuring compliance within the fishing community is integral to conserving our protected marine resources. Monitoring sea turtle conservation measures is a high priority,” said Manny Antonaras, Assistant Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division. “In the Southeast, we focus on protecting endangered sea turtles throughout our region, including marine sanctuaries, by monitoring for illegal fishing gear. We rely on our strong relationships with state and federal partners to aid in sea turtle focused patrols and operations such as our recent efforts.”
TED inspections protect sea turtles and ensure that commercial shrimp boats are fishing with allowable gear. TEDs permit turtles accidentally caught in nets to escape through a trap door. Before TEDs were required, an estimated 11,000 sea turtles died each year when they became trapped in shrimp nets and drowned.
Learn more about how to comply with TED regulations at fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/bycatch/turtle-excluder-device-compliance-information.
To kick off the operation, officers participated in a TED-related refresher training led by the Gear Monitoring Team at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. Turtle biologists from NOAA Fisheries' Office of Protected Resources National Sea Turtle Program provided information about sea turtle life history and trends seen in local turtle populations.
During the 3-day operation, 24 officers deployed amongst 6 vessels, patrolling in and around the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in the southern Gulf of Mexico, targeting vessels fishing offshore in federal waters. Officers focused on inspecting TEDs and ensuring compliance with federal and state fishing regulations.
The commercial shrimpers, who were primarily targeting pink shrimp, hailed from ports ranging from Texas to Florida. Officers boarded 11 such vessels, which took place while the fishermen were not fishing, to reduce disruption to crew schedules. Upon boarding, the fishermen were accommodating and receptive to the boarding officers' questions and inspections.
Several vessels had minor violations that were resolved on the spot through compliance assistance, such as trimming overhanging net flaps on the TEDs. In a few cases, TED and fishing violations were more severe, and formal investigations were opened. Some of the documented violations included bent TED bars. If a TED bar is bent or set at an improper angle, it lowers the likelihood of a turtle escaping unharmed.
Efforts such as this TED-focused operation are critical to protecting and conserving our national marine sanctuaries and protected sea turtle species. To report suspected fishery violations, including those involving the National Marine Sanctuaries and Endangered Species Acts, call NOAA’s Law Enforcement Hotline, available 24/7, at (800) 853-1964. You can also contact the FWC by texting 847411 (Tip411) with the keyword “FWC” and information about the violation, or call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922).