Videos

Endangered sea turtles are making a comeback thanks to the T.E.D. - the Turtle Excluder Device. By November 1989, the NMFS approved six different TEDS - although they need only protect turtles, they need not prevent shrimp from escaping. After shrimpers in the states lining the Gulf Coast protested the required use of TEDS, the National Marine Fisheries Service, Sea Grant Researchers and state fisheries agencies conducted tests to determine how much shrimp the TEDS released. They found that TED performance relied on the specific TED used, the location it was used in (how much debris, bottom topography and sea roughness), and the shrimping conditions at the time. Also, TEDS may inhibit a fisherman's ability to modify his traul gear to the accomodate changes in fishing conditions, or for the gear to adapt to the conditions while underwater.