Five species of shrimp are commercially caught from the southeastern United States, including White Shrimp, Brown Shrimp, Pink Shrimp, Rock Shrimp, and Royal Red Shrimp, with the first three species (Penaeid Shrimp) constituting most of the commercial catch (SAFMC 2008). Intrinsic rates of increase are unknown for any of the five shrimp species. Brown, White, and Pink Shrimp reach sexual maturity within 12 months and have a maximum life span of 24 months (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005), although most succumb to naturally high levels of predation before they are 12 months old (Muncy 1984). Royal Red Shrimp live longer and can survive for several years (GMFMC 2005). White Shrimp have growth rates of 0.75 to 0.91 mm per day (Baker et al. 2008). Growth rates for Rock Shrimp vary depending on age, being 2-3 mm per month for juveniles and <1 mm per month as adults (Kennedy et al. 1977). Rock Shrimp reach sexual maturity around 18 to 23 mm carapace width (SAFMC 2008). Because most shrimp species have short life spans, becoming sexually mature within 1 year, a score of 3 was awarded.

Most commercial fishing for shrimp in the southeastern U.S. occurs within several miles of the coast, except in the Gulf of Mexico where fishing effort is mostly in federal waters and effort is primarily concentrated on older shrimp, which have migrated from the estuaries and congregate offshore for spawning (Muncy 1984). Brown and White Shrimp enter the commercial fishery during summer and fall, coinciding with a peak in commercial catches (Muncy 1984; Larson et al. 1989). Since the various species of shrimp enter the spawning grounds at different times of the year (Larson et al. 1989; SAFMC 2004), several fisheries may successfully operate throughout the year. Spawning grounds cover large areas throughout the southeastern U.S., including the Gulf of Mexico, so no points are added or subtracted.

Brown Shrimp occupy a range from Martha's Vineyard, MA to the Florida Keys in the Atlantic and from Florida to Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico, although breeding adults do not typically occur north of North Carolina. Brown Shrimp abundance is greatest in waters less than 180 feet (SAFMC 1996, 2008). White Shrimp occur from Fire Island, NY to St. Lucie Inlet on the Atlantic coast of Florida and from Florida to Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico, with greatest abundances occurring off South Carolina, Georgia, the Mississippi River Delta and Northeast Florida along the continental shelf at depths of 89 feet and less (SAFMC 1996, 2008). Pink Shrimp occur from southern Chesapeake Bay to the Florida Keys in the Atlantic, and in the Gulf of Mexico coast to Yucatan south of Cabo Catoche, with maximum abundances occurring off Southwestern Florida and the Southeastern Golfo de Campeche in Mexico. The area of commercial significance for Pink Shrimp is in North Carolina and the Florida Keys (SAFMC 2008). Pink Shrimp are most commonly found at depths of 36-121 feet (SAFMC 1996, 2008). Rock Shrimp are found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide and in the US occur in the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, the Bahamas and along the Atlantic coast north to Virginia, although their greatest concentrations occur off northeastern Florida at depths of 111-180 feet (SAFMC 1998, 2008). Most species of shrimp are found along the eastern coastline of the U.S. and Mexico, thus no points were subtracted

Brown, White and Pink Shrimp are subject to high levels of natural population variability driven by environmental conditions (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). In any given year, environmental conditions, rather than fishing effort, influence abundance levels of these shrimp species in the southeastern U.S. (GMFMC 2005). Severe winter cold weather can periodically decimate over-wintering populations of White Shrimp (GMFMC 2005). Likewise, prolonged cold-water conditions in late winter and early spring influence the abundances of Brown and Pink Shrimp in both the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (GMFMC 2005, and SAFMC 2004). Fluctuations in environmental conditions can also affect recruitment of shrimp to estuaries and subsequently to fishing grounds (SAFMC 2008). Environmental variables, particularly salinity and substrate, appear to affect burrowing of Brown Shrimp, suggesting these environmental variables could affect predation rates and sampling efficiency of trawl nets used to determine population abundance (Minello et al. 1998).

Hurricanes may also periodically influence commercial catch levels, although their impact is generally limited to subsequent reductions in fishing effort and destruction of fishing vessels, rather than declining shrimp abundances (GMFMC 2005).

Brown, White and Pink and Rock Shrimp are highly fecund (SAFMC 2004), with egg production increasing with female size (SAFMC 2008). This enables populations under favorable environmental conditions to rebound from very low abundance in one year to high abundances in the next (SAFMC 2004). The spawning season for Rock Shrimp peaks from November through January and spawning can occur over three times per season, with eggs hatching within 24 hrs. (SAFMC 2008).

Because of their short-lived nature, BMSY is difficult to apply to shrimp populations. Additionally, environmental conditions, more so than catch rates, influence their annual abundance (GMFMC 2005; SAFMC 2008). Amendment 6 to the South Atlantic Shrimp Fishery Management Plan established the definition of overfishing for all Brown, White and Pink Shrimp to be reached when the fishing mortality rate that reduces the population below the designated biomass needed to produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY) occurs for two consecutive years (SAFMC 2004). White Shrimp are also considered overfished when the overwintering population found within individual states waters is reduced by 80% or more after a severe winter (SAFMC 2004). Recuitment overfishing of White Shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico occurs when parent (age 7+ months) population levels are reduced to less than 330 million shrimp (GMFMC 1994). Brown and Pink Shrimp are considered to be undergoing recruitment overfishing when the parent (age 7+ and 5+ months respectively) population is below 125 and 100 million shrimp respectively (GMFMC 1991).

Little data exists for Royal Red and Rock Shrimp, which comprise only a small component of the fishery, and information on abundance, catch, effort and BMSY remain largely unknown (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). It has been suggested that fishing only has an impact on Rock Shrimp subsequent year class size when the spawning population has been reduced below the minimum threshold (SAFMC 2008). The most serious threat to Rock Shrimp populations is likely habitat loss from pollution and “physical alteration” (SAFMC 2008). Overfishing for Rock Shrimp in the South Atlantic region occurs when the fishing mortality rate leads to annual landings being more than two standard deviations above the MSY for two consecutive years (SAFMC 2004). The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council considers Royal Red Shrimp to be subject to overfishing when the fishing mortality rate is greater than that which produces the MSY and the population is considered overfished when catch is less than 50% of MSY (GAFMC 2005).

Pink Shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico are currently considered to be subject to overfishing and in the South Atlantic are considered overfished (NMFS 2009). Royal Shrimp have recently been classified as not overfished after being at an unknown status (NMFS 2009).

Because shrimp population sizes and their relation to BSMY are not known, a score of 2 was awarded.

Population sizes of Brown, Pink and White Shrimp species remain heavily dependent upon environmental conditions, with cold weather decimating populations during severe winters in the South Atlantic (SAFMC 2004). Since environmental conditions, rather than catch rates, determine the annual abundance of shrimp populations (GMFMC 2005), no points are added or subtracted for this factor.

Pink Shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico are currently considered to be subject to overfishing and in the South Atlantic are considered overfished (NMFS 2009). The remaining four shrimp species are not considered overfished, so no points were subtracted.

Age, size and sex distributions for Brown, White and Pink Shrimps are functionally normal (GMFMC 2005, SAFMC 2004).

It is not known if the abundance of shrimp in the southeastern U.S. provides adequate food for other predators, thus no points were awarded. Rock Shrimp typically feed on small bivalve mollusks and crustaceans (Cobb et al. 1973).

Although commercial fishers use a variety of gear to capture shrimp in the southeastern U.S., including cast nets, haul seines, traps and beam trawls, the bottom (otter) trawl remains the dominant gear used in offshore waters (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). A pair of 'otter' boards holds the mouth of the net open by exerting a downward and outward force at towing speed. A heavy mesh bag with 'wings' on each side funnels shrimp and other captured organisms into the codend, or tail, of the net (GMFMC 2005). To maximize efficiency, fishers typically operate a 'quad rig' whereby two 40-foot trawls are pulled from each of two firmly constructed outriggers located on the port and starboard side of the vessel.

Since trawling nets, and their attachments, are designed to maximize contact with the seafloor, shrimp trawling can modify benthic habitats and affect benthic fauna, diversity and community structure (Morgan and Chuenpagdee 2003). Shrimp trawling can inflict substantial damage to the seafloor by crushing, burying and exposing marine organisms. Additionally, by disturbing and resuspending sediment, shrimp trawling releases nutrients into the water column, increasing the occurrence of algal blooms and decreasing sea grass production (SAFMC 2004). Shrimp trawling frequently occurs in shallow coastal areas, which serve as nursery grounds for commercially important fish species, and destroys the structural diversity critical for a large array of marine life. Additionally, shrimp trawling typically occurs over the same areas every year, leaving benthic environments little opportunity to recover (Watling and Norse 1998).

Major hypoxic events, caused by nutrient over-enrichment, occur annually over a large area of the Gulf of Mexico and in estuaries such as the Neuse River basin and Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, which severely compromises essential shrimp habitat (SAFMC 1998; Eby et al. 2005). Abundance levels of Brown Shrimp, for example, are negatively correlated with increases in hypoxia (GMFMC 2005). High levels of nutrients from agricultural production, wastewater treatment facilities and industrial sources in the southeastern U.S. enter the Gulf of Mexico and promote excessive algal growth, which is then fed upon by oxygen-consuming bacteria. The consumption of algae by bacteria fuels an annual 'dead zone' of oxygen-depleted bottom water, which in 2005 reached the size of New Jersey, and typically spans 5,000 to 9,900 square miles (Scavia et al. 2003). Oxygen depletion begins in the spring, reaches a maximum in the summer, and dissipates in the fall (GMFMC 2005). Shrimp, fish and other marine organisms must flee the dead zone or die.

Additional anthropogenic activities, such as bulk-heading, dredging, and draining from agricultural areas, may also reduce the suitability of estuaries as nursery habitat for developing shrimp (SAFMC 2004, and Larson et al. 1989). Increased drainage from land sources alters salinity patterns and increases sediment discharge into essential shrimp habitat (Larson et al. 1989).

Bottom (otter) trawls remain the dominant gear used by fishers in the commercial shrimp fishery in the U.S. (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). Shrimp trawling nets, and their attachments, are designed to maximize contact with the seafloor and trawling typically occurs over the same areas every year.

Brown, White and Pink Shrimp utilize a variety of habitats throughout their lives. Generally, adults spawn and lay eggs offshore, which hatch into planktonic larvae. Larval shrimp, or postlarvae, drift or migrate into estuaries, where they remain for several months as juveniles and subadults. As shrimp approach adulthood, they migrate from the estuaries to offshore areas where they mature and spawn. Seasonal migration from estuaries varies both within and among shrimp species, with considerable overlap in habitat usage (GMFMC 2005).

Brown, White and Pink Shrimp are estuarine-dependent; and critical habitat includes inshore estuarine nursery areas and offshore marine habitats (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). Numerous studies in the Gulf of Mexico relate the abundance of Brown, White and Pink Shrimp to the health and survival of estuarine habitat (GMFMC 2005). Therefore, in order to safeguard shrimp populations, state and federal fishery managers define and protect several areas of critical shrimp habitat. Permanent closures to trawling and commercial shrimp fishing occur within the Tortugas Shrimp Sanctuary, while seasonal closures occur in other important shrimp nursery grounds off Texas and Florida (GMFMC 2005). A seasonal closure (December-June) to all shrimp trawling from Corpus Christi Fish Pass to the US Mexican border (Southern Shrimp Zone) has been in effect since 2001 (Sheridan and Doerr 2005). A Northern Shrimp Zone from Corpus Christi to the Texas-Louisiana border restricts shrimp trawling to daytime hours from December through June (Sheridan and Doerr 2005). Other protected areas include pristine coral areas, such as the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico, where managers prohibit the use of any bottom-interacting fishing gear (GMFMC 2005).

Shrimp trawling in the Gulf of Mexico occurs over sand, mud and sand/mud bottoms that are highly resilient to disturbance (Barnette 2001). Short term (7 months) studies of the effects of the cessation of trawling on benthic habitat showed that there was little accumulation of fine material (Sheridan and Doerr 2005). They suggested the lack of change was a result of the short closure period combined with the sand-dominated area that was likely more influenced by winter storms, cyclones and coastal currents than shrimp trawling. Several other studies have indicated that trawling has little to no impact on benthic organisms living in sand-dominated areas (Van Dolah et al. 1991; Engel and Kvitek 1998; Jennings et al. 2002).

Regulations prohibit Rock Shrimp trawling over sensitive coral reef areas, such as the Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico and deepwater Oculina coral habitat off the coast of Florida (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). Historically, Rock Shrimp trawling and anchoring activities over fragile Oculina coral reefs resulted in extensive habitat damage. Today, regulations prohibit both the use of bottom trawls and fishing for Rock Shrimp in designated Oculina coral habitat (SAFMC 2004).

The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils manage the commercial shrimp fishery in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, respectively (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). Implemented in 1981 and 1991, shrimp Fishery Management Plans, and their subsequent amendments, manage the three Penaeid species (Brown, White, and Pink), Royal Red Shrimp and Rock Shrimp (in the Atlantic fishery only) in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic respectively (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). State councils, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources manage the shrimp fishery in state waters (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005).

The Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils require permits for all commercial vessels fishing in federal waters but do not set limits on fishing effort or commercial catch levels (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005). State license requirements vary (GMFMC 2005). Although the commercial shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Mexico remains unregulated with regards to total catch and fishing effort, seasonal and area closures are in effect to promote maximum yield per recruit (GMFMC 2005). There is communication between state and federal management agencies. For example, following severe winter cold kills, the fishery management plan for the shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic region provides South Atlantic states with the ability to request closure of federal waters adjacent to closed state areas to reduce fishing mortality on over-wintering White Shrimp (SAFMC 2004). The South Atlantic Region Shrimp Fishery Management Plan enables states to request a closure of the EEZ adjacent to their closed state waters following severe winter cold weather, allows a buffer zone extending from shore to 25 nautical miles that precludes fishing with a trawl net with less then 4 inch stretch mesh, Optimum Yields, and definitions of overfishing (SAFMC 1993; 1996). Fishing for Rock Shrimp in depths less than 100 fathom east of 80° W, 27° 30’N and 28° 30’N is prohibited (SAFMC 1996). Bycatch Reduciton Devices (BRD’s) are required in all Brown, White, and Pink Shrimp trawls in the South Atlantic EEZ (SAFMC 1996b). Mesh size restrictions are in place for trawlers fishing for Rock Shrimp in the South Atlantic EEZ and these trawlers must have a Vessel Monitoring System in place (SAFMC 2002).


Brown, White, and Pink Shrimp comprise over 90% of commercial landings in the Southeast U.S., with Rock and Royal Red Shrimp accounting for only a small percentage of total commercial catches. Overall, Brown Shrimp dominate commercial catches, followed by White and then Pink Shrimp (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005).

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has monitored the abundance levels of all Brown, White and Pink Shrimp annually since 1970 (GMFMC 2005). In the Gulf of Mexico, commercial shrimp fishers are not required to report information on gear usage, effort and catch, unless directed to by the National Marine Fisheries Service (GMFMC 2005). Since the fishery includes vessels of varying size and fishing capabilities, fishing effort is virtually impossible to measure. Instead, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) uses port samplers and interview data from fishers and seafood dealers to estimate fishing effort (GMFMC 2005; Epperly et al. 2002). Although NMFS now requires a permit for all commercial shrimp fishers in federal waters, these permits do not reflect actual participation in the fishery (GMFMC 2005).

Pink Shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico are currently considered to be subject to overfishing and in the South Atlantic are considered overfished (NMFS 2009). Recovery Plans are in place.

In 2005, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) established a ten-year moratorium on the issuance of commercial shrimp vessel permits, capping the number of vessels in federal waters (GMFMC 2005). Although the number of vessels in the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery has declined, effort has remained relatively high (GMFMC 2005). Amendment 5 to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Shrimp Fishery Management Plan implemented actions aimed at reducing capacity for the rock shrimp fishery (SAFMC 2002).

Worldwide, shrimp trawl fisheries generate approximately 2% of the world's catch of fish in weight, but result in more than one third of the global bycatch total. In the United States, shrimp trawls produce bycatch/catch ratios (weight discarded per weight landed) between 3:1 and 15:1 (Hall et al. 2000). Bycatch/catch ratios in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic typically approach 4:1 (GMFMC 2005), although levels can be as high as 11:1 (Hall et al. 2000). In the Southeast Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp fisheries, bycatch is made up of a 'very large' number of species that differs according to the species fished, environmental conditions and location of trawling (SAFMC 2004; GMFMC 2005).

In the South Atlantic, shrimp trawl fisheries routinely catch Spot, Atlantic Menhaden, Atlantic Croaker, Southern Kingfish, Star Drum, Blue Crab, and juvenile Brown, White and Pink Shrimp as bycatch (SAFMC 2004). Cannonball Jellyfish, which may be retained commercially by permit, constitute the largest species caught in South Atlantic shrimp trawl fisheries by weight (SAFMC 2004). Once removed from the seafloor, bycatch species are often returned to the water dead, or dying, and may alter food web dynamics in discarded regions (Morgan and Chuenpagdee 2003).

Information on bycatch in the South Atlantic Rock Shrimp fishery is limited. Recent sampling indicated 37 species of Crustaceans, 166 finfish species and 29 'other' invertebrate species as bycatch in the Rock Shrimp trawl fishery (SAFMC 2004). During a two-year sampling program of the Rock Shrimp trawl fishery, Rock Shrimp accounted for only 10% of total catch by weight, with Dusky Flounder, Iridescent Swimming Crab, Inshore Lizardfish, Longspine Swimming Crab, Spot, Brown Shrimp, and other bycatch species comprising the remainder (SAFMC 2004).

Shrimp trawling is also a significant source of sea turtle bycatch and mortality in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Atlantic. Recent estimates indicate that thousands of Kemp's Ridley, Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback Sea Turtles are caught in shrimp trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Atlantic annually (Epperly et al. 2002).

Recent economic conditions have caused trawling effort to decline significantly in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, easing the overall bycatch impact in the short term (Nance et al. 2006).

Shrimp trawling in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic continues to capture significant numbers of non-target species and undersized Penaeid Shrimp species (Brown, White, and Pink) (GMFMC 2005; SAFMC 2004). Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) allow the escape of commercially important species of finfish. Federally approved BRDs reduce finfish bycatch by approximately 30%, and the numbers of Weakfish and Spanish Mackerel caught in the South Atlantic fishery by 40% (SAFMC 2004). Despite recent advancements in bycatch reduction, current levels of bycatch in the Penaeid Shrimp fishery remain substantial (SAFMC 2004) and recent information suggests BRDs may not be as effective in reducing bycatch as previously thought (GMFMC 2006). A recent analysis of bycatch from commercial fishers using Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) in the Rock Shrimp fishery off the east coast of Florida identified 37 species of Crustaceans, 166 fish species and 29 other invertebrate species, all of which were not excluded by the devices (SAFMC 2004). An observer study of the Rock Shrimp fishery from 2001 to 2006 indicated the catch consisted of 19% Rock Shrimp, 4% Penaeid Shrimp and 49% finfish (SAFMC 2008).

Additionally, shrimp observer coverage in both the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Penaeid and Rock Shrimp fisheries is low (GMFMC 2005; SAFMC 2004). Fishery managers in the South Atlantic completed the most recent surveys of bycatch in the Penaeid Shrimp fishery in 1996. Bycatch observer programs in the Rock Shrimp fishery are ongoing (SAFMC 2004).

Shrimp trawling in the Gulf of Mexico continues to remove significant numbers of juvenile Red Snapper, contributing to its overfished status. Despite the use of Bycatch Reduction Devices, the shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Mexico removes roughly 25-45 million Red Snapper annually as bycatch, nearly one half the amount taken in directed recreational and commercial Snapper fisheries (GMFMC 2006; SEDAR 2005).

Shrimp trawling has long been a significant source of sea turtle bycatch and mortality in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Atlantic. Within the Gulf of Mexico, Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles experienced the highest numbers of interactions - which can include both captures and escapes from trawl gear - with shrimp trawl fisheries, followed by Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback Sea Turtles. In the Atlantic, interactions were highest for Loggerheads, followed by Kemp's Ridley, Leatherback, and Green Sea Turtles (Epperly et al. 2002). Recent estimates indicate that approximately 765,000 Kemp's Ridley, 220,000 Loggerhead, 50,000 Green and 5400 Leatherback Sea Turtles interact with shrimp trawl fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Atlantic annually (Epperly et al. 2002).
Between 1978 and 1984, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) began developing Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs). A TED is a grid-like structure which directs turtles, and other large animals, out of trawl nets through a hole above the grid. In 1989, NMFS implemented regulations requiring TEDs during the primary shrimp trawling season, and by 1994, enforced year-round use of TEDs in the commercial shrimp trawl fishery of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (Crowder 2001). TEDs have been largely successful in reducing sea turtle bycatch in the U.S. shrimp trawl fishery (GMFMC 2005; SAFMC 2004, and Crowder 2001). Since 1990, total annual mortality of the highly endangered Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles has been reduced by 44-50% (SAFMC 2004).

TEDs, however, are not 100% effective; some turtles, regardless of size, do not escape capture (SAFMC 2004, and Epperly et al. 2002). To be certified by the National Marine Fisheries Service, a TED design must be 97% effective in excluding sea turtles. Certification trials conducted during 1995-2002 with captive turtles resulted in the escape of 239 of the 250 Turtles tested (Epperly et al. 2002). Although TEDs allowed smaller species such as the Kemp's Ridley to effectively escape the capture, the relatively small size of escape openings resulted in significant mortality rates for larger turtles, such as Loggerhead and Leatherback Sea Turtles. Overall, TED effectiveness for Loggerheads in the Gulf of Mexico was only 25% (Epperly et al. 2002). TED openings can be modified to accommodate the escape of large sea turtles, potentially reducing shrimp trawl-related mortality by 94-96% for Loggerhead and Leatherback Sea Turtles (SAFMC 2004; Epperly et al. 2002). To address this problem, on February 21, 2003, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a final rule requiring the modification of TED design to include Leatherbacks, sexually mature Loggerhead, and Green Sea Turtles (SAFMC 2004).

In heavily trawled areas, sea turtles may repeatedly pass through TEDs (Epperly et al. 2002). Recent studies indicate recapture rates of 20% or more and few estimates exist on the number of turtles that survive the escape process (Epperly et al. 2002).

The 2002 Biological Opinion conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service indicated that shrimp trawling in the SE U.S. “is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered green, leatherback, hawksbill and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles and threatened loggerhead sea turtles (NOAA 2002).