Sea turtles of several species are often accidentally caught in a variety of fishing gear in many areas of the world, including the southwest Atlantic and the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 12,500 turtles died annually as a result of entanglement in shrimp trawl fishery alone. It became a concern for the commercial fishing industry and environmentalists alike since almost all sea turtles are endangered, and the turtle excluder device (TED) was developed in the mid-1980s in an effort to prevent turtles from entering nets designed to catch other marine animals.

Turtle excluder device (TED) designs began as barrier nets preventing turtles from being caught in the main net, then modified to gate-like attachments. Three main within-net designs are currently used. The model designed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) consists of an addition in the throat of the...