![Turtle escaping a trawl net via a turtle excluder device.]()
There are multiple shapes and designs of TEDs, with new ones being developed each year. In order for TEDs to be approved for use by NOAA, and to ensure minimal sea turtle mortality, they must be tested. Photo: NOAA Fisheries/Dan Foster
Approved TED Designs
For a list of currently approved TED designs, please refer to 50 CFR 223.207.
TED Construction Information
Parker Soft TED Instructions (PDF, # pages)
Standard Steel TED (PDF, # pages)
Large Bent Rod TED (PDF, # pages)
Mid-sized Bent Rod TED (PDF, # pages)
TED Escape Openings – Any of the following TED openings may be fished inshore. However, only the 71-Inch TED Opening and the Double-Cover TED Opening are permissible offshore. Please refer to 50 CFR 222.102 (PDF, 7 pages) for further definitions of inshore and offshore waters.
- Instructions for the 44-Inch Inshore Turtle Escape Opening (PDF, # pages)
- Instructions for the 71-Inch Offshore Turtle Escape Opening (PDF, # pages)
- Guide for Checking Double-Cover TED Opening (PDF, # pages)
More Information
Oceanic whitetip shark. Hawaiʻi longline fishermen use leaders to connect weighed branch lines and baited hooks. A new rule prohibits steel wire leaders in the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishery, starting May 31, 2022. The rule aims to increase the survival of hooked oceanic whitetip sharks caught as bycatch in the Pacific Islands region. Credit: Andy Mann
Right whale #3853 swimming north offshore of South Carolina on Jan. 20, 2011 with a series of fresh propeller wounds running across its back. The whale was observed 5 days previously offshore of Georgia without propeller wounds. It is unknown whether the whale survived its wounds or not, as it has not been re-sighted since. Vessel collisions are a leading cause of right whale mortality. Credit: EcoHealth Alliance (NOAA permit #594-1759).
North Atlantic right whale Catalog #3560 ‘Snow Cone’ sighted December 2, 2021 entangled and with a new calf. Photo credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission taken under NOAA permit 20556.
A right whale breaching. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Christin Khan