reducing incidental bycatch and mortality of sea turtles .... sefsc skimmer tr… · reducing...

1

Reducing Incidental Bycatch and Mortality of Sea Turtles in the Southeastern Shrimp Fisheries

NMFS, SEFSC, Mississippi LaboratoriesHarvesting System Unit

March 2017

Southeastern US Skimmer Trawl Fishery

U.S. Department of Commerce | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAA Fisheries |

• Fishery expanded following TED rule for otter trawls

– Operate inshore seasonally in LA, MS, AL, FL, and NC

– ~4,000 vessels 16 ft – 65 ft

• Vessels push nets attached to frames on either side of vessel

• TED exempt because codends can be easily retrieved

– Must adhere to tow time limitsApr 1 - Oct 31 = 55 minNov 1 - Mar 31 = 75 min(57 FR 57348)

• Tow times are often exceeded

– 12 to 258 min averaged 102 min (±24 min, Scott-Denton et al. 2006)Taken from Hein and Meier 1995.

Research and Regulatory Timeline2007 Recognizing tow times are difficult to enforce NMFS, SEFSC,

Harvesting Systems Unit (HSU) is tasked with development of TEDs for skimmer trawls.

2008-2012 The HSU completes ~1200 comparative TED testing tows aboard 20 unique vessels. Minimal handling problems observed with shrimp loss averaging 4.97% for TEDs with 4” bar spacing.

Jan 2010 Skimmer trawls are added to the List of Fisheries (LOF) under an Annual Determination (AD) to be subject to mandatory observer coverage based on fishery characteristics and the potential for sea turtles interactions (75 FR 27649).


Research and Regulatory TimelineMay 2012 Mandatory observer coverage is implemented in the skimmer trawl

fishery.

NMFS publishes proposed rule to withdraw alternative tow time restrictions and require all skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (butterfly trawls) to use TEDs (77 FR 27411).

Aug 2012 From May-Aug, 2012, observers report 24 Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles captured aboard skimmer trawl vessels operating in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). More than half (58%) have Body Depths (BDs) less than 4-inches.

Feb 2013 NMFS withdraws proposed TED rule for skimmer trawls pending additional research to identify optimum bar spacing and evaluation of TEDs capable of excluding small sea turtles (78 FR 9024).


2012 Skimmer Trawl Observer Coverage


2012 Observed Sea Turtle Captures


Research and Regulatory TimelineApr 2013 Examination of available data indicate that the majority of sea turtles

encountered in coastal areas have BDs greater than 3” (Stokes and Gearhart 2016).

Jun 2013 The HSU conducts small turtle TED testing with one-year old, captive-reared loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles and determines that excluding small turtles from trawls with TEDs is not simple mechanical separation, but limited by the turtles’ physical ability (Gearhart 2013).

TED characteristics that influence turtle escape rates are:Flap Twine Size (#30 vs #15) Grid Type (Bent bar vs Straight bar)

2013-2015 The HSU completes ~900 comparative TED testing tows aboard 16 commercial vessels with 8 different 3” bar spacing TED configurations. Minimal handling problems observed and shrimp loss averaged 6.21%.


Skimmer Trawl TED Research


Straight Bar Bent Bar

TED Deflector Bar Treatments

Skimmer Trawl TED Research


1 5/8-inch#15 Twine

1 5/8-inch#30 Twine

Flap Material Twine Size Treatments


Horizontal straight line (stretched) measurement of

44 inchesat least

Vertical straight line (stretched) measurement of

20 inchesat least

44”

20”

Greater than or equal to 56-inches when stretched

44-inch Opening Double Cover Opening

Skimmer Trawl TED ResearchEscape Opening Treatments


Skimmer Trawl TED Testing: 2013-2015 Gulf Tows


Skimmer Trawl TED Testing: 2013-2015 NC Tows


Shrimp Loss by TED Configuration

Shrimp Loss Percent by Weight

TED TypeTED

OpeningFlap

Twine nLower 95%CI Mean

Upper 95%CI p value

BB DC 15 70 -8.23 3.38 14.99 0.5498

BB DC 30 142 -6.51 -3.96 -1.40 0.0038

BB FF 15 30 -3.70 -0.09 3.51 0.9584

BB FF 30 106 -4.16 0.11 4.39 0.9575

SB DC 15 120 -6.15 -3.07 0.02 0.0497

SB DC 30 80 -18.22 -6.57 5.08 0.2827

SB FF 15 122 -11.54 -7.20 -2.87 0.0029

SB FF 30 234 -7.41 -2.07 3.28 0.4567

Top Opening TEDs with 3-inch bar spacing

BB = Bent Bar DC = Double Cover OpeningSB = Straight Bar FF = 44-inch Opening

1414

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

• March 15, 2016: NMFS Southeast Regional Office (SERO) announced in the Federal Register intent to prepare a DEIS and to conduct scoping meetings

• Five scoping meetings held in April 2016 to solicit public comment

• Scoping period ended on April 29, 2016

• DEIS published on December 16, 2016

• DEIS comment period ended on January 30, 2017

1515

Potential Management Alternatives

Alternative 1: No action

Alternative 2: Amend the existing TED regulations to require vessels 26 ft and greater in length using skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (butterfly trawls)—with the exception of the Biscayne Bay wing net fishery prosecuted in Miami-Dade County, Florida—to use TEDs designed to exclude small turtles

Alternative 3: Amend the existing TED regulations to require all vessels using skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (butterfly trawls)—with the exception of the Biscayne Bay wing net fishery prosecuted in Miami-Dade County, Florida—to use TEDs designed to exclude small turtles

1616


Alternative 4: Amend the existing TED regulations to require vessels 26 ft and greater in length using skimmer trawls to use TEDs designed to exclude small turtles

Alternative 5: Amend the existing TED regulations to require all vessels using skimmer trawls to use TEDs designed to exclude small turtles

Alternative 6: Amend the existing TED regulations and require the use of TEDs designed to exclude small turtles by all shrimp trawlers fishing within state waters

Alternative 7: Amend the existing TED regulations and require the use of TEDs designed to exclude small turtles by all shrimp trawlers

1717

ALTERNATIVE 2

ALTERNATIVE 3

ALTERNATIVE 4

ALTERNATIVE 5

ALTERNATIVES 6-7

SEA TURTLES PROTECTED 1,509 - 2,179 1,730 - 2,500 1,412 - 2,040 1,624 - 2,348 1,730 - 2,500+

TOTAL VESSELS AFFECTED 3,103 5,837 2,913 5,432 9,711

FULL-TIME VESSELS AFFECTED 973 1,103 920 1,041 2,603

PART-TIME VESSELS AFFECTED1 2,130 4,734 1,993 4,391 7,108

TOTAL ADVERSE EFFECT2 $9.4 MILLION $13.7 MILLION $8.9 MILLION $12.8 MILLION $44.0 MILLION

TOTAL REVENUE LOSS $5.4 MILLION $6.2 MILLION $5.1 MILLION $5.8 MILLION $27.5 MILLION

TOTAL TED COSTS $4.0 MILLION $7.5 MILLION $3.8 MILLION $7.0 MILLION $16.5 MILLION

AVERAGE ADVERSE EFFECT $3,029 $2,347 $3,055 $2,356 $4,530AVERAGE REVENUE LOSS $1,740 $1,062 $1,751 $1,068 $2,830AVERAGE TED COSTS $1,289 $1,285 $1,304 $1,288 $1,697

AVERAGE ADVERSE EFFECT (% OF TOTAL REVENUE) - YEAR 13 40% - 43% 68% - 122% 39% - 40% 70% - 120% 80% - 131%

AVERAGE ADVERSE EFFECT (% OF TOTAL REVENUE) – LONG TERM3

1.8% - 4.6% 1.5% - 4.6% 1.8% - 4.6% 1.5% - 4.5% 2.9% - 4.7%

NUMBER OF TEDS NEEDED 12,392 23,266 11,836 21,650 43,228TIME TO PRODUCE TEDS 2.3 YEARS 4.3 YEARS 2.3 YEARS 4.3 YEARS 7.2 YEARS


1818

Preferred Alternative

Alternative 3: Amend the existing TED regulations to require all vessels using skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (butterfly trawls)—with the exception of the Biscayne Bay wing net fishery prosecuted in Miami-Dade County, Florida—to use TEDs designed to exclude small turtles

1919

Proposed Rule

Applicable to vessels fishing with skimmer trawls, pusher-head trawls, and wing nets (aside from Biscayne Bay wing net fishery)

All current TED regulations would apply except:

• TEDs must not have deflector bar spacing greater than 3 inches

• Only top opening TEDs allowed

• All current legal escaping openings allowed: 44-inch, Double Cover, or 71-inch

2020

Proposed Rule

• TEDs installed at angles greater than 45⁰ must use escape opening flaps constructed of twine no greater than #15

• TEDs installed at angles of 45⁰ or less may have escape opening flaps constructed of twine up to #30

− Except any Double Cover opening on straight bar grids, which may not be constructed of twine greater than #15 regardless of installation angle

• TEDs would be required 6 months after publication of a final rule

2121

Proposed Rule

• Would not impact stationary wing nets (e.g., single wing net fished from a stationary platform or at the end of a dock)

• Would not impact vessels fishing without mechanical advantage trawl retrieval systems on board (i.e., no winch, pulleys, etc.)

• Would not impact live bait shrimp fisheries if they continue to meet the exemption criteria

Questions?

reducing incidental bycatch and mortality of sea turtles .... sefsc skimmer tr… · reducing...

Documents