I conducted one of the studies referenced in this petition while I was an employee at William & Mary. I would just like to make a few points:

• This petition only concerns nearshore waters, so it would not affect watermen crabbing in the Bay
• Our study -- the largest and most comprehensive ever conducted in VA -- found no significant reduction in crab catch with TEDs. This was done in a protected area with high populations of both crabs and terrapins.
• Re: Crabbers reporting that they have never seen a terrapin in a trap -- that is likely because they have all been killed already. Terrapins are native to VA estuaries and should be in all of them. If everyone started using TEDs, terrapins might appear again in those waterways. I can attest that terrapins DO swim into crab pots, as we would catch 10+ terrapins (later released) in a single pot at the protected estuary where we conducted our research. At that rate, it is easy for a local population to be quickly killed, which could have happened decades ago.
• TEDs can be extremely cheap when made with galvanized steel wire vs. buying plastic TEDs, so the argument of cost does not stand.
• The crabbing economy has not collapsed in states with BRD requirements, so that argument also does not stand.
• In contrast to what some have said, the scientists behind the push for TEDs in nearshore waters are not motivated by greed. We conducted our entire study on a $3,000 grant, which went entirely to supplies. In contrast, watermen working with VIMS to remove derelict pots have at times been paid tens of thousands of dollars for a summer's worth of work.