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Turtle Excluder Device Certification Testing Data

Metadata Updated: April 1, 2024

Since 1988, the Southeast Fisheries Science Center Mississippi Laboratories has conducted Turtle Excluder Device (TED) certification testing that utilizes captive-reared sea turtles obtained from the SEFSC, Galveston Laboratory. The objectives of the study are to evaluate candidate TEDs for sea turtle exclusion efficiency following a standardized small turtle testing protocol (Federal Register, Vol. 55, No. 195). The protocol consists of towing a 50 ft, western jib trawl directly astern of a vessel at a towing speed of 2.5 kts. A messenger wire is incorporated into the trawl and attached to the towing vessel. Turtles are transported from the vessel to the trawl inside a herculite bag via the messenger wire. Three SCUBA divers are utilized to conduct the test. Diver one releases each turtle into the trawl, diver two records elapsed time and captures escaping turtles or removes captured turtles from the trawl. Diver three records the entire sequence with a video camera. Once released into the trawl, each turtle is given five minutes to escape through the candidate TED and either scored as an escape or capture. Each year, a control TED and candidate TED are exposed to 25 turtle trials and are scored accordingly. The performance of the control TED for a given year is utilized to determine the sea turtle exclusion efficiency of candidate TEDs and determine if designs pass or fail. All TEDs that pass the certification protocol are considered allowable gear for use in commercial shrimp trawl fisheries both domestically and internationally. Currently, data from 2007 to 2014 are included in this database with previous years existing in paper form only. Data prior to 2007 will be included in this dataset in the future. Data recorded include measurements of various TED components, test number, turtle identifier, turtle release position, turtle activity level, turtle escape or capture, and turtle escape time.

Access & Use Information

License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date November 6, 2021
Metadata Updated Date April 1, 2024
Reference Date(s) (publication)
Frequency Of Update asNeeded

Metadata Source

Harvested from NMFS SEFSC

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date February 29, 2024
Metadata Created Date November 6, 2021
Metadata Updated Date April 1, 2024
Reference Date(s) (publication)
Responsible Party (Custodian)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:29496
Access Constraints Cite As: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, [Date of Access]: Turtle Excluder Device Certification Testing Data [Data Date Range], https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/29496., Access Constraints: There are not restrictions or legal prerequisites for accessing this data., Use Constraints: NOAA NMFS does not approve, recommend, or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or sales promotion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, recommends, or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned herein or which has as its purpose any intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchased because of this NMFS publication. NMFS is not responsible for any uses of these data sets beyond those for which they were intended, and NMFS makes no claims regarding the accuracy of any data provided by agencies or individuals outside NMFS. Acknowlegement of NOAA NMFS and SEAMAP would be appreciated in products derived or publications generated from this data.
Bbox East Long -85.5
Bbox North Lat 30.16666666667
Bbox South Lat 30.05
Bbox West Long -86
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update asNeeded
Harvest Object Id 13295302-acca-43e1-bbe5-172b41eab48b
Harvest Source Id ca759a40-507d-4d0c-8f8c-64b3c5e05066
Harvest Source Title NMFS SEFSC
Licence NOAA provides no warranty, nor accepts any liability occurring from any incomplete, incorrect, or misleading data, or from any incorrect, incomplete, or misleading use of the data. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether or not the data is suitable for the intended purpose.
Lineage Field data are recorded onto datasheets. Datasheets were checked in the field after sampling and data were checked after entry into the database. The principal investigators review the data for content to ensure the relevance/accuracy of data collected.
Metadata Language eng
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-86.0, 30.05], [-85.5, 30.05], [-85.5, 30.16666666667], [-86.0, 30.16666666667], [-86.0, 30.05]]]}
Progress completed
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 1998

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