Skimmer trawl vessels larger than 40 feet will not have to install turtle excluder devices until August.
The requirement was supposed to take effect on today, but because of COVID, the effective date is now August the 1st.
Due to safety and travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NOAA Fisheries gear team has not been able to complete in-person Turtle excluder device training workshops to help skimmer trawl fishermen install and use TEDs in their nets.
If a TED is not installed properly, it will not allow turtles to escape the net.
NOAA Fisheries is also considering taking additional action to protect sea turtles in skimmer trawl fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries is considering the potential expansion of TED requirements for skimmer trawl vessels less than 40 feet in length and whether additional rulemaking is warranted.
No comments:
Post a Comment