Gulf and Atlantic Coast shrimp trawls account for up to 98 percent of all sea turtles caught

New Orleans — The Associated Press is reporting; Duke University and Conservation International researchers say lack of data from shrimp trawlers is a huge problem in getting a national picture of sea turtle deaths on fishhooks and in fishing nets.

They say total federal estimates of such deaths fell 90 percent from 1990 to 2007. But Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast shrimp trawls account for up to 98 percent of all sea turtles caught by people fishing for
other species.

The study released Wednesday is the first compilation of sea turtle bycatch estimates from all fisheries nationwide.