Gulf of Mexico Texas Shrimp Fishery Improvement Project 2013

Gulf of Mexico Texas Shrimp Fishery Improvement Project 2013 Overview The Texas shrimp fishery targets two species: brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) and white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus). Brown shrimp are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to the Florida Keys and throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico to the northwestern Yucatan in Mexico; white shrimp are found in the western Atlantic Ocean from New York to St. Lucie Inlet, Florida, and in the northern Gulf from the Ochlochonee River, Florida to Campeche, Mexico. Both species live in relatively shallow water, though brown shrimp tend to be found slightly deeper (up to 50 fathoms, with most caught in 30 fathoms or less) than white shrimp (up to 20 fathoms, with most caught in 15 fathoms or less). White and brown shrimp both prefer muddy and peaty bottoms but are sometimes found over sand or shell bottoms. This fishery occurs in Texas state waters as well as federal waters of the US Gulf of Mexico. State waters are from the shore out to 9 nm; from 9 nm to 200 nm is considered federal waters. The primary gear used to harvest shrimp is the otter trawl (it is essentially the sole gear used in federal waters), while in state waters fishermen may also use wing nets (butterfly nets), pusherhead trawls (chopstick rigs), stationary butterfly nets, beam trawls, roller-frame trawls, cast nets, channel nets, haul seines, traps, and dip nets. Harvest of brown shrimp peaks during the summer, while white shrimp harvest peaks in the fall. Biology Shrimp have very short lives (18 24 months) and a very high reproductive capacity (one female can release 215,000 to 1 million eggs every 3 days). These biological characteristics make them inherently resilient to fishing pressure. Neither brown nor white shrimp are overfished or experiencing overfishing. Shrimp abundance is driven by environmental characteristics, not abundance of spawners. Yet, it is possible for shrimp to experience growth overfishing (harvest of individuals before they reach their maximum attainable size). For these reasons, management of shrimp fisheries tends to focus more on maximizing economic value by delaying harvest until shrimp are larger and more economically valuable. Management also focuses on the ecosystem impacts of harvest, because the primary gears used to harvest shrimp can have high amounts of bycatch and some interact with seafloor habitats. Management System The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council) manages shrimp fisheries in

federal waters, while the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division (TPWD) manages shrimp in state waters. Though each entity has established their own regulations for the shrimp fishery, in many cases they have mirrored each other s regulations for consistency. For example, Texas requires the use of federally approved bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) and turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in state waters, while the federal government closes offshore waters at the same time Texas closes their state waters to allow brown shrimp to reach larger sizes before harvest begins (generally May 15 July 15, subject to biological monitoring). The Gulf Council s Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (FMP) was implemented in 1981 and has been amended 14 times. Federal regulations include effort limitations/permit requirements, reporting requirements, mandatory observer coverage if selected, time-area closures to protect juvenile red snapper, gear restrictions and mandatory use of certified BRDs and TEDs. All permit holders must submit a vessel and gear characterization form each year, or permits will not be renewed. In addition, a portion of the fleet is randomly equipped with electronic logbooks each year to collect information on hours and geographic areas fished. Environment/Ecosystem Shrimp are bottom-dwellers, thus most fishing gear used to harvest shrimp comes in contact with the sea floor. The preferred habitat of brown and white shrimp, muddy/sandy bottom, is very resilient. Sea floor protection measures include closed areas and marine reserves to protect habitat and nursery areas of shrimp and other species. Otter trawl nets must be equipped with a weak link on the tickler chains, which is designed to break and prevent snagging on any hard substrates. Most gears used to harvest shrimp are indiscriminate and catch many species besides the targeted shrimp. In the late 1990s, the federal government implemented regulations requiring BRDs for finfish. One of the driving forces behind this requirement was the need to reduce the bycatch of juvenile red snapper, which inhabits many of the same offshore areas as brown shrimp and is severely overfished. The red snapper stock is managed under a rebuilding plan and the stock is rebuilding. Current regulations require all BRDs to be certified to reduce bycatch of finfish by 30 percent (by weight). Still, the currently used BRDs are not capable of the reductions required by the red snapper rebuilding plan, thus a substantial decrease in shrimp fishery effort from the 2001 2003 baseline has been required. Due to economic conditions, hurricane damage and federal limits on shrimp permits, the actual reduction in effort has exceeded the needed reduction in red snapper bycatch. If, in the future, red snapper bycatch exceeds the reduction targets, seasonal area closures in the northern Gulf may go into effect to limit effort in areas where red snapper are common. A preliminary ecosystem model for Gulf of Mexico has been developed (Walters et al. 2006) and the results suggested that shrimp fishery bycatch will not impair rebuilding of other fisheries and that the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem may have developed a new and stable community structure including shrimp bycatch mortality. In addition, BRD testing and modification is an ongoing process, involving the fishing industry and government agencies, to develop new devices and modify current devices to achieve maximum bycatch reduction.

Sea turtles, protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), are also a primary bycatch concern. In the 1980s, principal attention was give to the Kemp s ridley sea turtle, classified as endangered, with more recent attention to the loggerhead, classified as threatened. After a period of aggressive militancy from environmental groups, innovators within the fishing industry worked with government and academia to develop effective TEDs. Federal regulations implemented by NOAA Fisheries in the early 1990s require use of TEDs in shrimp otter trawls throughout the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic waters. These regulations were enacted under the authority of the ESA, and thus apply to both state and federal waters (not limited to federal waters, as are the federal fishery regulations). Federal regulations require that TEDs be 97- percent effective at releasing sea turtles. Texas has a Joint Enforcement Agreement with the federal government, agreeing to enforce sea turtle conservation regulations in state waters (out to 9 nm). In addition, nearshore waters in South Texas (<5 nm) are closed to shrimping during the winter and spring, to reduce bycatch of sea turtles. Coupled with protection of the known nesting grounds, a dramatic increase in Kemp s ridley sea turtles has occurred over the past 10 15 years and the shrimp fishery is not expected to cause an appreciable reduction in the likelihood of the survival or recovery of any sea turtle species. On April 20, 2010, a deep-water petroleum-drilling platform in the northern Gulf of Mexico, called the Deepwater Horizon, exploded and killed 11 workers. The well began to leak oil and continued to do so until July 2010, releasing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf. The long-term impacts of this spill on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem are unknown. During the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, higher than normal numbers of sea turtle strandings were documented. The cause of these strandings is unknown, but potential causes include impacts from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, biotoxins such as from harmful algal blooms, and fishing activities. Market Nearly all of the shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico are consumed in the US, and this fishery is one of the nation s most valuable. Yet domestically harvested shrimp account for only about 10 percent of national consumption, with the rest supplied mainly by farmed, imported shrimp. Over the last 10 15 years there has been a major decline in shrimp fishing effort due to high fuel prices, low shrimp prices, competition from imports and hurricanes in the Gulf in 2005 and 2006. Though effort has declined, there has not been a commensurate decline in landings (i.e., landings are variable but without a clear downward trend). Brown shrimp are the economically most important species in the Texas shrimp fishery. Annual harvests range from 17 32 thousand metric tons (37 71 million pounds) worth $76 125 million. White shrimp are second in importance, with annual harvests of 10 14 thousand metric tons (21 28 million pounds) and values of $42 78 million.

Landings (mt) 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 Commercial Landings and Value of Brown and White Shrimp in Texas 0 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 Year $140,000 $120,000 $100,000 $80,000 $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 $0 Value (1,000 US Dollars) Brown Shrimp Landings Brown Shrimp Value White Shrimp Landings White Shrimp Value Source: NOAA OST 2012 Problem Statement While both a traditional economic engine in the coastal communities of the Gulf of Mexico and a major supplier of shrimp to many markets, the shrimp fishery has also had to deal with environmental implications of its harvesting methodology. A great number of improvements have been made to reduce the impact of the shrimp fishery on the environment, including mandatory TEDs and BRDs, area closures, and sea turtle nesting enhancement projects, but there are still areas for improvements in sustainability. Bycatch ratios are high in comparison to other fisheries. The average bycatch-to-shrimp ratio in the Gulf of Mexico during 2007 2010 was 2.5:1, a decrease from estimates in the 1990s and 2000s ranging from 4:1 to 10:1 (Scott-Denton et al. 2012). Bycatch reduction devices are required, but approved BRDs vary in effectiveness by region and it is unclear which BRDs are most commonly used, because the results of the gear characterization forms are not publicly available. In the Gulf, there is a high diversity of species caught as bycatch, and no single species dominates or is considered a main bycatch species. While government scientists believe that the most frequently caught species (Atlantic croaker, longspine porgy, seatrout, and inshore lizardfish) are not at risk from bycatch mortality, because of their high reproductive capacity and short lifespan, but no stock assessments have been conducted on any of these species. Red snapper is not one of the most frequently captured species, but is still a bycatch concern because of its depleted stock status, commercial importance and dual fishing mortality exerted by both the shrimp and reef fish fisheries.

Observer coverage is the only source of bycatch quantity and characterization data, but the overall level of coverage is low, at only 1 to 2 percent (NMFS 2011). Theoretically this could lead to the observer effect, where fishermen behave differently while an observer is present. US stock assessment scientists recommend an observer coverage level of at least 5 percent for the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery. During 2010 and 2011, NOAA increased monitoring and enforcement of TED regulations (NOAA 2012). Initial monitoring surveys found lower compliance levels than the 97- to 99- percent compliance reported by patrols conducted by state natural resource management agencies. The two most concerning TED installation issues were a) steeper than allowed angle (making it difficult for small turtles to escape) and b) smaller than allowed opening (preventing large turtles from escaping). Other minor issues included excessive overlap of double-cover escape opening panel flaps, bar spacing in excess of the 4-inch maximum, improper flotation, and excessive escape panel flap length. A number of these compliance issues were traced back to specific net shops. Monitoring and enforcement patrols continued through the spring and summer of 2011. According to the federal government, the observed compliance and severity of violations improved and the documented violations became increasingly minor. The federal government has posted TED Inspection and Compliance information on the NOAA Southeastern Regional Office sea turtle-shrimp fishery page http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shrimpfishery_seaturtle.htm), but this information is not updated regularly. In May 2012, the federal government issued a Biological Opinion under the Endangered Species Act, which established a system to measure and monitor the actual performance of shrimp otter trawls in releasing sea turtles. This system became effective June 1, 2012. Under these new requirements, NOAA Fisheries is using detailed data on the type and severity of TED violations to estimate sea turtle capture rates. NOAA Fisheries has established a new fleet-wide TED performance standard limiting otter trawls to an overall 12-percent sea turtle capture rate. In February 2013, NOAA Fisheries announced the results of the first 6 months of the new TED compliance and performance monitoring. The results indicate that the June November 2012 average fleet-wide sea turtle capture rate in otter trawls was approximately 13 percent. This is a 1-percent increase over the estimated sea turtle capture rate during August November 2011. NOAA Fisheries is holding informal training and courtesy dockside inspections throughout each region to assist fishermen in complying with the TED regulations in order to reduce the sea turtle capture to 12 percent or below in the next 6-month review (December 2012 May 2013). Recommended Solutions Technical and regulatory solutions are available to continue to move the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery toward greater levels of sustainability. Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) initiated a Texas Shrimp Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) in 2008. For more information on how this FIP is improving the sustainability of the Texas shrimp fishery, see the FIP public report at www.sustainablefish.org/fisheries-improvement/shrimp/gulf-of-mexico-texas-shrimp/gulf-ofmexico-texas-shrimp-fip.

References and Works Cited Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC). Shrimp Fishery Management Plans. Accessed online, August 2012, at www.gulfcouncil.org. Helies, Frank C. and Judy L. Jamison. 2009. Reduction Rates, Species Composition, and Effort: Assessing Bycatch within the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Trawl Fishery. Gulf & South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Inc. NA07NMF4330125 (Foundation #101) MRAG Americas, Inc. 2010. Pre-Assessment of the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery. Prepared for Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. NMFS. 2011. U.S. National Bycatch Report [ W. A. Karp, L. L. Desfosse, S. G. Brooke, Editors ]. US Department of Commerce, NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-F/SPO-117E, 508 pp. NOAA. 2012. Reinitiation of Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 Consultation on the Continued Implementation of the Sea Turtle Conservation Regulations, as Proposed to Be Amended, and the Continued Authorization of the Southeast U.S. Shrimp Fisheries in Federal Waters under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Accessed online, August 2012, at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shrimpfishery_seaturtle.htm. NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology (NOAA OST). Accessed online, September 2012, at www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/index.html. NOAA FishWatch. Profiles for brown and white shrimp. Accessed online, August 2012, at www.fishwatch.noaa.gov. Scott-Denton, E., P. F. Cryer, M. R. Duffy, J. P. Gocke, M. R. Harrelson, D. L. Kinsella, J. M. Nance, J. R. Pulver, R. C. Smith, and J. A. Williams. 2012. Characterization of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic penaeid and rock shrimp fisheries based on observer data. Marine Fisheries Review 74(4): 1 26. TPWD. 2002. The Texas Shrimp Fishery. A report to the Governor and the 77th Legislature of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Division. Accessed online September 2012 at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/commercial/. Walters, Carl, Steven J.D. Martell, and Behzad Mahmoudi. 2006. An Ecosim model for exploring ecosystem management options for the Gulf of Mexico: implications of including multistanza life history models for policy predictions. For presentation at Mote Symposium #6, November 2006. Accessed online, November 2012, at http://www.ecopath.org/sites/default/files/ecopath_models/papers/gom%20ecosystem% 20model.pdf