Archive for March, 2021

Delay in the Effective Date for the Final Rule to Require Turtle Excluder Device Use for all Skimmers

shrimp boat

NOAA Fisheries is delaying the effective date of the final rule amending the definition of tow time and requiring the use of TEDs designed to exclude small sea turtles in their nets in skimmer trawls 40 feet in length and greater in the Southeastern U.S. shrimp fisheries until August 1,…

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Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Adds 14 Additional Reefs

reef fish swimming in Flower Banks; photo from NOAA

The 14 additional reefs and banks are officially part of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). As of March 22, 2021, FGBNMS encompasses 17 reefs and banks located approximately 80-125 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana. These banks are a combination of small underwater mountains, ridges, troughs, and…

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Commercial Fishing For Aggregated Large Coastal And Hammerhead Sharks Closed

hooks on a basket

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced today that effective March 10 at 11:30p.m., commercial fishing for large coastal sharks in the aggregated large coastal and hammerhead groups (great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead, nurse shark, bull shark, lemon shark, sandbar shark, silky shark, spinner shark, and tiger…

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NOAA Fisheries Continues Weekly For-Hire Reporting Webinars

school of tuna in blue water

NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office will host weekly question and answer webinar sessions to assist participants with program information and compliance. WHEN: The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday evenings starting at 6:30 PM, EST, from March 2 to March 30, 2021. The webinar will continue each Tuesday evening for as…

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