Shrimp boats at the wharf in Biloxi, Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico. Arrow points to turtle excluder device that allows netted sea turtles to escape unharmed. As part of its spring meeting, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a multi-state agency that coordinates state fishery management issues, will discuss the status of sea turtle populations to generate possible solutions to reduce sea turtle interactions with fishing gear. And the fisheries service will hold a comprehensive public workshop later this spring to discuss the status of Atlantic sea turtle populations, cumulative impacts, and to generate ideas on solving problems with fishing gear interactions. For now, the Sea Turtle Restoration Project remains optimistic that President Bush and the NMFS will support solutions like marine protected areas, limits on the number of turtles a fishery can kill accidentally before it is shut down, and increased use of independent observers on fishing vessels.
Administrations come and go.
And political pressure works the same on Democrats and Republicans - from both sides, from industry and from environmentalists. All Rights Reserved. Environmental Press Releases Enter your email to receive the Environment News Service daily. All Rights Reserved. Inc. All Rights Reserved.