Rollback of Turtle Device Rule for Shrimp Trawlers Draws Lawsuit

The Trump administration’s rule exempting certain types of shrimp trawlers from turtle escape device requirements will result in more than 1,300 sea turtle deaths annually, environmental groups say in their lawsuit filed in a Washington, D.C., federal court Tuesday.

The National Marine Fisheries Service issued the rule without providing notice that it was considering exempting certain vessels, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and Turtle Island Restoration Network say the agency failed to rationalize the rule. It also failed to take a hard ...