From Seafood Source: The Center for Biological Diversity, the Port Royal Sound Foundation, and Lowcountry Ecological have filed a petition with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in the United States asking the state government to require bycatch reduction devices on all blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) pots in order to protect diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin). Multiple states along the East Coast of the United States already require bycatch reduction devices on recreational and commercial crab pots. Researchers estimate 60,000-80,000 terrapins are killed in both active and derelict crab pots each year. While terrapins are currently not federally protected, they are considered a "high priority species of conservation concern" in South Carolina. The Center for Biological Diversity has also petitioned to list terrapins under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Featured Bycatch Species
The main cause of the decline of loggerhead turtles, and the current primary threat to global populations is bycatch in longlines, gillnets, trawls, traps and pots, and dredges.