TEDS VISIT BY REO SUCCESSFUL

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000288 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES/OMC:CSTANGER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ETRD XR BR SUBJECT: TEDS VISIT BY REO SUCCESSFUL ¶1. On February 14-15 the Regional Environmental Officer (Hub) for South America traveled to Belem at the start of the shrimping season to work with the GOB inspectors as they conducted their annual pre-season TEDs verification check. During the last Turtle Excluder Device (TEDs) verification visit by the Department of State and National Marine Fisheries Service in November and December, 2006, the US team had several concerns about the efficacy of the Brasilian TEDs program, in particular the level of training of the inspectors. Efforts by DOS, NMFS, and the Regional Environmental Officer (Hub) for South America in providing training materials to these local inspectors resulted in an increased understanding of GOB TEDs regulations by the GOB inspectors and a program that is comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. program. ¶2. Vigilance and training are the cornerstones of effective TEDs programs in the United States as well as other countries. Info addresses who wish to have copies of the training materials so that they can make them available to host government fisheries inspection and enforcement units should contact the regional environmental Hub in Brasilia. SOBEL