Right now, there's four pounds of by-catch for every pound of shrimp caught. This year, meanwhile, TPWD deputized its game wardens so they could board shrimp trawlers and make sure the boats were in compliance with current regulations designed to protect the seven turtle species that frequent Texas waters, all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Since the beginning of the year, state game wardens boarded 431 boats, issuing 68 warnings and 10 citations for TED violations. Pointing to the number of turtles stranded on Texas beaches, though, Shore says that this is not enough. She argues that the only way to truly protect sea turtles is to keep shrimp boats out of the waters where they live.
Preservation needs to come before profits.
Osborn counters that the number of stranded, dead, and injured turtles can be misleading, and may actually reflect the fact that turtle populations across the board are increasing. They're also being counted at higher numbers on the Mexican beaches where they nest. Loggerheads, he acknowledges, have seen a spike in deaths and injuries, but that could be the result of ecological patterns resulting in increased interactions between fishermen and turtles. Mainstream Texas environmentalists, though concerned about the fate of sea turtles, have so far remained silent on the issue of preserves. Brian Sybert of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club says that the shrimp regulatory review will allow conservationists to address various concerns, including turtle preservation, but that his group will not be setting forth a public position until later this year.