1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 A Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the most endangered sea turtle on Earth, gets swept into a shrimp trawl. It hits a metal grid, slides out through a flap in the net, and swims away. That small trapdoor, the turtle excluder device, is one of the biggest success stories in fisheries management, and in late August 2026 a US federal appeals court upheld the rule extending it to skimmer trawl boats 40 feet and longer. In this episode, marine biologist Andrew Lewin walks through the bycatch fixes that are working and the fights still underway. You’ll hear why North Atlantic right whales get tangled in lobster and crab rope, how weak rope and ropeless gear could solve it, and why the US House just voted to extend a pause on new whale rules to 2035. Andrew also explains what the dolphin-safe label on canned tuna actually covers and why dolphin deaths in that fishery fell from hundreds of thousands a year to roughly a thousand. Every number in this story depends on someone counting. Andrew draws on his own time as a marine mammal observer to explain why independent fisheries observers matter, the risks they face, and how electronic monitoring is changing the job. This episode is part of a week on sustainable seafood. Pre-order Dr. David Shiffman’s book Why Sustainable Seafood Matters using the link in the show notes. Takeaways Turtle excluder devices must prove 97% effective at excluding sea turtles in testing, with little loss of shrimp A loophole for small skimmer trawl boats let turtles keep drowning; a 2019 rule requires TEDs on boats 40 feet and longer, and the Fifth Circuit upheld it in 2026 Rope running from traps to surface buoys is the main entanglement risk for North Atlantic right whales, estimated at about 384 animals Weak rope and on-demand (ropeless) gear are the two leading fixes for lobster and crab fisheries Dolphin-safe means no nets were set on dolphins and none were killed or seriously injured in that set Pole-and-line, troll, and handline tuna carry the least bycatch When you choose the gear, you choose the bycatch Pre-Order Dr. David Shiffman's book &quot;Why Sustainable Seafood Matters&quot; How To Protect The Ocean https://www.speakupforblue.com/show/speak-up-for-the-ocean-blue/ <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/43276258/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/43276258