As of 1 August, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents will be authorised to enforce federal turtle excluder device (TED) and bycatch reduction device (BRD) regulations in state territorial waters.
HB 668 was signed into law in early July. Federal law requires shrimp trawlers to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), which create an opening in fishing nets to allow trapped sea turtles to escape, but Louisiana was the only state that did not to enforce this law.
Throughout the year, the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force has worked with industry members and attended public meetings to better understand the industry’s concerns regarding the repeal of the existing laws. Based on the feedback and support received from the industry, the Shrimp Task Force led the way and voted unanimously at its 1 April 2015 meeting to repeal the current prohibition of enforcement.
“Today is a monumental day for our shrimp industry and will show the world that Louisiana fishermen and processors have always been concerned with the successful management of our shrimp fishery, said Mark Abraham, Shrimp Task Force Chairman.
Louisiana was the only state ‘red-listed’ on the popular Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guide, which analyses the sustainability of fisheries. However, following the passage of HB 668, the Seafood Watch program now lists Louisiana shrimp as a ‘good’ alternative, the same as all other Gulf of Mexico shrimp caught within otter trawl.
