Like other fisheries, shrimping has seen an enormous increase in regulation in the past 20 years. Shrimpers often disagree with government decisions, but they accept many regulations without protest. In Louisiana, for example, shrimpers follow state shrimping seasons, and few object to the annual six-week closure of Texas' offshore waters, which allows shrimp to grow bigger. But many shrimpers still harbor resentment from the decade-long fight over turtle excluder devices.
Federal rules require TEDs in offshore waters to let endangered sea turtles escape from nets.
Officials think the rules, devised under the Endangered Species Act, save thousands of turtles each year. Shrimpers fought the regulations for years, saying TEDs were an onerous burden because they allow shrimp as well as turtles to escape, they can get twisted or clogged, and they're an additional expense in a time when every dollar counts. This is a tough industry to regulate because the shrimpers are doing what their fathers have done, only with more regulation,'' said Dan Foster, a National Marine Fisheries Service biologist. Whatever the real figure, TEDs have been yet another factor in shrimping's economic decline. It's a lot of work,' ' said shrimper Mike Lorraine.