TOEFL TPO 37 integrated writing question

The reading introduces turtle excluder device (TED) as an invention which is incorporated into the nets and allows turtles to escape from the net through a passage. In this regard, the author believes that the TEDs' functionality is under question and accordingly discusses some criticisms. However, the lecturer finds the idea dubious and casts doubt on the reasons discussed in the reading passage.

First, the author argues that since turtles rarely get stuck in the nets and providing TEDs for the shrimpers would cause them to lose some of their catch, the cost of losing shrimp isn't worth to save a single turtle. Conversely, the lecturer brings up the idea that although catching turtles while spreading nets is a rare thing, taking all boats into account will lead us to the fact that thousands of turtles are endangered every time. Since the population of the turtles is small, thousands of them is considered a significant number for such endangered species.

Furthermore, the reading passage holds the view that alternative methods like limiting the time which shrimp boats are allowed to keep their nets underwater and releasing the turtles from the nets would be more effective. In contrast, the speaker dismisses the issue due to the fact that the proposed method is not practical since the boats' activities are hard to be monitored. While enforcing TEDs is much easier by checking each boat before going for the catch.

Finally, the reading asserts that TEDs are not effective for larger species of turtles and the passage of TED is not large enough for such turtles to escape from the net. On the contrary, the professor underlines the fact that the TEDs' design could be modified so that the nets could be utilized for such species. Doing so, TEDs would still have the same functionality as before.