If it weren’t for such rough winds right now – gale-force winds in Charleston Harbor and 14-foot swells offshore – every shrimp boat captain alive would be pulling out of Shem Creek, McClellanville, etc. right now, especially with the reduced [sic] fuel prices.

Those that do make it out will be rewarded with a nice catch – assuming everything goes according to plan – because SCDNR officials say shrimp have been keeping their own out in the ocean – the question, “is how many boats are gonna be out there to catch them?”

SCDNR also says that the in-water catch rate of immature loggerheads has been increasing, which at first sounds alarming, but then you realize it means management efforts such as nest protection and the required use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TED’s) in commercial shrimp trawl nets may be paying off.

“…in the Charleston shipping channel, catch rates have increased significantly since 1990.” – SCDNR

Although sea turtles were not captured in 75% of the tows, several noteworthy trends were evident for the 25% of tows that did capture sea turtles:

• * Loggerhead sea turtles accounted for 94 percent of all sea turtle species captured.
• * There was a strong north/south gradient in catch rates, with highest catch rates off northern Florida and southern Georgia.
• * A strong north/south gradient in loggerhead size was noted, with the greatest frequency of smaller loggerheads collected off northern Florida & southern Georgia.
• * Significant increases in catch rates were observed between 2000 & 2008 for two sizes of loggerheads, notably the size representing reproductively mature adults and the next smallest size group.

Florida beaches, thought to host the second-largest loggerhead nesting population in the world, have seen a decline in nesting of more than 40% in the past decade.
Credit: NOAA

According to Oceana.org, NOAA’s NMFS has failed to meet the legal 12-month deadline for responding to three separate petitions focusing on two different sea turtle species in U.S. waters.

Because of this, The Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana.org and the Turtle Island Restoration Network are calling for stronger protection for sea turtles, including comprehensive legislation on their behalf.

David Allison, senior campaign director at Oceana says, “Sea turtles in all U.S. waters are at risk of extinction and the agency responsible for their protection is failing to do its job. If we hope to ensure the long-term survival of these majestic species, we must move quickly to enact a comprehensive law to protect U.S. sea turtles.”

“The U.S. government has knowingly failed to respond to our petitions” – David Allison

Among other things, the sea turtle petitions call for increased protections in the loggerheads’ key nesting beach and marine habitats. It also mentions the negative effects on loggerhead turtles from greenhouse gas emissions saying, “…the threat to the loggerhead from global warming has increased since the filing of the petition, and will continue to do so.”