Conservation in a complex management environment: The by-catch of sea turtles in North Carolina's commercial fisheries

摘要

Despite a powerful, federal legislative framework established to protect threatened and endangered species in the United States, conservation actions can be hindered by the complexity of the full management structure. This is particularly true when state and federal agencies share the responsibility to conserve endangered species. To illustrate this point, this paper describes the management of sea turtle by-catch in commercial fisheries within the state waters of North Carolina. It reviews past and present by-catches, summarizes state and federal efforts intended to reduce sea turtle by-catch, and discusses the challenges posed by the involvement of multiple agencies with conflicting objectives. It concludes by recommending fundamental changes to this management framework and, in particular, proposes the establishment of a multilayered stakeholder group that would work to reduce sea turtle by-catch while supporting vibrant commercial fisheries in the state. 【Keywords】Sea turtle conservation;By-catch;North Carolina;Endangered Species Act;Fisheries management;%Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TRIO 9EZ, UK, Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA; Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA; North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, 211 Virginia Ave, Morehead City, NC 28557, USA; Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, 211 Virginia Ave, Morehead City, NC 28557, USA;