Effect of a New, Larger TED Design on Catch Performance in the Summer Flounder Trawl Fishery

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Sea turtles have inhabited the earth for more than 100 million years. However, despite their long history, all seven species of sea turtles distributed worldwide face threats to their survival and are recognized as threatened or endangered with shrimp trawling stated as the single largest anthropogenic source of mortality. The management model developed for the five sea turtle species found in United States waters to date indicates that protecting large juvenile and adult sea turtles with Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) is one of the most effective and rapid means of reversing their decline. Presently, the National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing to extend the requirement for the use of TEDs to encompass more fishermen targeting a broader range of species yet, the economics of this action must be considered along with the conservation value of this action.  Several comparative studies have been conducted focusing on the catch rates of commercially important species in trawl nets both with and without TEDs installed. The goal of this project was to compile the data from these studies to ascertain the ranges of loss of target and bycatch species showing similar morphologies, as TEDs may exclude species on the basis of body-form or swimming ability. In addition to the TED design, other potential variables such as season, location, trawl net types and fishing effort were taken into consideration. Finally, showing the effects of TEDs on the catch performance may provide information to help answer if the TEDs meet economic and conservation requirements for a sustainable trawl fishery and turtle exclusion in the northwest Atlantic fishery.