Comment from Edna Mullen

I strongly support the action to reclassify U.S. loggerhead sea turtle populations as endangered in the Endangered Species Act. Greater protections must be enacted immediately to protect these imperiled populations from Atlantic sea scallop, flounder, croaker, and shrimp trawl fisheries bycatch.   The Gulf of Mexico and South East Atlantic shrimp fishery killed an estimated 778 loggerheads in 2009, and 5,365 sea turtles total. Skimmer trawl vessels, which are not required to use Turtle Excluder Devices, were excluded from the calculations meaning the number of loggerheads killed was likely much higher. Shrimp trawl fisheries are just one of the many trawl fisheries killing sea turtles and degrading their habitat.   Greater improvements are needed immediately in the shrimp trawl, sea scallop trawl, flounder and croaker trawl fisheries to reduce interaction with loggerhead and other endangered sea turtles. Granting U.S. loggerheads endangered status is the first step towards taking more action to end the bycatch in trawl fisheries.   I support the use of nesting female counts to determine the population trends of loggerheads and I support swift and decisive action to increase protections for loggerheads and all sea turtles from the deadly impacts of commercial trawl fisheries.