The Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawl fishery has been the leading killer of endangered sea turtles in the U.S. since the 1980s, drowning thousands of innocent sea turtles each year.
If endangered sea turtles are to recover in the Gulf, all trawls must have Turtle Excluder Devices- TEDs. Skimmer trawls are not required to use TEDs in their nets. We ask that you make Turtle Excluder Devices mandartory in all trawl nets, especially skimmer trawls.