Marine organization places restrictions to protect sea turtles

ATLANTA - The large number of dead sea turtles found on Georgia&#39;s beaches recently has prompted the National Marine Fisheries Service to impose an emergency rule requiring shrimpers to use special devices to protect the endangered animals. <br> <br> Commerical shrimpers must use nets equipped with turtle excluding devices that are big enough to allow sea turtles that are inadvertently snared to slip through. The new restrictions, which began Friday and will continue through June 23, cover waters from Cape Fear, N.C. to St. Augustine, Fla. <br> <br> ``The impact is going to be most felt by the people who are operating the Gulf of Mexico shrimp vessels,&#39;&#39; said Chris Smith, spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service. <br> <br> Most Georgia shrimpers who trawl during the time leatherbacks are present already have the larger turtle excluder devices, Smith said. <br> <br> Under the temporary restriction, shrimpers also are prohibited from fishing at night between one hour after sunset and one hour before sunrise. <br> <br> Nearly 100 threatened and endangered sea turtles have been found dead recently on Georgia&#39;s beaches likely drowned in the nets of shrimp boats, state officials say. <br> <br> The turtles were found during the two-week period ending May 19, said Mark Dodd, the sea turtle coordinator for the Wildlife Resources Division of the state Department of Natural Resources.

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