James I. Richardson

Incidental Capture Of Sea Turtles By Shrimp Trawlermen In Georgia

In 1976, a survey was conducted to ascertain the incidental capture of sea turtles by shrimp trawlers in Georgia waters. Interviewed were captains and strikers representing 101 commercial trawlers (average length 17.4 m) which principally offload their catch at commercial docks on the Georgia coast. During that period, 1,388 vessels were registered to shrimp in Georgia, including a 321 vessel commercial fleet with Georgia registration and vessel length greater than 9.14 m. Commercial shrimpers trawled an average of 22 days per month during a 6.7 month shrimp season; they averaged 4.5 drags...