Southeast United States Fisheries Bycatch Reduction Research in Shrimp Trawl Fisheries

Abstract

Presented in the paper are the two devices that were developed by some states in the southeast United States to reduce fisheries bycatch in shrimp trawls. These were Turtle Excluder Device (TED) and Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD). First, the use of TEDs were strongly resisted by some fishermen, however, when it was mandatory and regulations effectively enforced, fishermen found that it improved shrimp production and the quality of catch. Moreover, also presented in the paper are the two bycatch reduction devices that are being regulated into use in United States, the Fisheye BRD, and the Extended Funnel BRD that are found to effectively reduce the finfish bycatch.