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ISSUE DATE: August 24, 2021                                                                                       FB21-052

CONTACT: Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Harvesting and Engineering Branch, Gear Monitoring Team: Canh Nguyen (228) 549-1773 or Jason Letort (228) 549-1772 or TED.info@noaa.gov

NOAA Fisheries Offers Additional TED Tuesday Webinars to Assist Skimmer Trawl Fishermen with Turtle Excluder Device (TEDs) Installation

Key Message:

Fishing gear specialists with NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fishery Science Center’s Gear Monitoring Team will host additional question and answer webinar sessions summarizing skimmer trawl Turtle Excluder Device (TED) requirements and assist participants with program information and compliance. In a continued effort to reach as many fishermen as possible, these additional webinars were added, following previous events hosted in May, June, and July. 

Due to questions coming into our gear monitoring team, below the webinar information you will find a list of skimmer trawl TED manufacturers. These have been identified, but are not endorsed by NOAA Fisheries.

When:

• The webinars are scheduled once a month on Tuesday mornings starting at 9:00 AM through 10:30 AM CST. Webinars are scheduled for Aug. 31, Sept. 28, and Oct. 26, 2021. 
• The webinar on Oct. 26 will be presented in both English and Vietnamese.
• To register for the webinars please go to: 
  • August 31, 2021 @9:00 AM, CST 
    • Event address for attendees: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/j.php?MTID=m3e16d79e7eb99100d305784a86c5e593
    • Event number:199 486 9229, Event password: noaa (case sensitive)
    • Audio conference: US Toll,1-415-527-5035, Access code:199 486 9229
  • September 28, 2021 @9:00 AM, CST 
    • Event address for attendees: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/j.php?MTID=m3e16d79e7eb99100d305784a86c5e593
    • Event number: 199 486 9229, Event password: noaa (case sensitive)
    • Audio conference: US Toll, 1-415-527-5035, Access code: 199 486 9229
  • October 26, 2021 @9:00 AM, CST (also translated to Vietnamese)
    • Event address for attendees: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/j.php?MTID=m3e16d79e7eb99100d305784a86c5e593
    • Event number: 199 486 9229, Event password: noaa (case sensitive)
    • Audio conference: US Toll, 1-415-527-5035, Access code: 199 486 9229

Additional Information:

• NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Harvesting and Engineering Branch staff will host the webinars to summarize TED requirements that went into effect on August 1, 2021, for skimmer trawl vessels 40 ft or greater in length. These Tuesday webinars will provide a comprehensive summary of the new regulations, gear requirements, and research results. Question and answer sessions will be conducted at the end of each webinar. 
• These webinars are for anyone with an interest in the new TED requirements for skimmer trawls, and specifically for any captains, owners, or crew of skimmer trawl vessels that are 40 ft or greater in length that will be impacted by the regulation.
• This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

What you need to know before registering:

• Each webinar will be recorded. See below for the NOAA Privacy Act Statement.
• Trouble joining the webinar? Please call our Service Desk (Available from 7:00AM to 11PM EDT): 1-888-219-9228

Turtle Excluder Device Manufacturers (updated 8-13-21)

• Due to questions coming into our Southeast Fishery Science Center’s Gear Monitoring Team, we also want to provide a list of skimmer trawl TED manufacturers. NOAA Fisheries is not recommending any specific manufacturer. The list below is intended to inform the industry and public of existing skimmer trawl TED manufacturers. The list is not exhaustive and will be updated if additional manufacturers are identified.

Skimmer Trawl TED Reimbursement Programs:

• The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is extending their Skimmer TED reimbursement program to run through July 31, 2022.  Information can be found here: https://dmr.ms.gov/mdmr-extending-gear-reimbursement-program-for-skimmer-trawl-turtle-excluder-device-on-commercial-vessels/
• The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Skimmer TED reimbursement program is currently in the process of applying for an extension. Information about that program can be found here: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/register-for-the-june-2-skimmer-turtle-excluder-device-reimbursement-program-stedrp-webinar

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Disclosure:  VOLUNTARY

ACKNOWLEDGMENT:  I understand the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 as related to furnishing this information is voluntary; if permission is not given, then the photographs, videos, or audio recordings will not be used. I also acknowledge that although my permission can be revoked, certain media images, including those hosted by third parties or in permanently stored media may not be removable after being posted. 

By registering for this webinar you attest that you have read, understood and agree with this Privacy Act Statement. 

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NOAA's Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery related alerts via text message (SMS). Standard message and data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time. Text alerts you may receive include immediate fishery openings and closures and any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly.

Sign up for one or more of the fisheries-related alerts below by texting the following to 888777:

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Other Contacts

Media: Kim Amendola (727) 551-5705, Allison Garrett (727) 551-5750

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