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Integrated Bayesian models to estimate bycatch of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast shrimp otter trawl fishery
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2018
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Description:The incidental capture, or bycatch, of sea turtles in fisheries is a major source of mortality (NRC 1990) and a significant management concern. Various measures to reduce fisheries bycatch have been researched and implemented, such as the required use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in the southeast U.S. shrimp fisheries beginning in the early 1990s. Estimating fisheries bycatch in the southeast U.S. shrimp fisheries is essential in determining the overall effect of the fisheries on sea turtle populations, and is a legal requirement under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This task is challenging given the broad area over which the shrimp fisheries operate, the large number of vessels participating in the fisheries, and the extensive amount of effort these vessels collectively exert annually, which is contrasted by the limited amount of fisheries effort that is observed (especially prior to 2007). Bycatch estimation is further complicated by the nature of sea turtle populations that also occur over a broad area, can be difficult to observe as they spend an extensive amount of time submerged, and the local abundance of sea turtles can fluctuate dramatically seasonally and annually. Documenting interactions in the southeast U.S. shrimp fisheries is also complicated due to the required use of TEDs, which are employed to avoid sea turtle capture in trawl nets; therefore, interactions in TED-equipped trawl nets would largely go unobserved.
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Rights Information:Public Domain
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Compliance:Submitted
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