Sinkey Boone

Sea Turtle Restoration Project is sorry to report that Sinkey Boone, the inventor of the original turtle excluder device has passed. Sinkey was a great friend to many of us and to the sea turtles. -- Todd Steiner

Sinkey Howell Boone, 73, of Darien, Georgia, died Wednesday September 1, 2010 at Hospice of the Golden Isles in Brunswick. Funeral Services were held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, in the Chapel of the Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home, with the Rev. Bill Brown officiating. Interment followed in Whispering Pine Cemetery in Darien.

Sinkey was born Jan. 24, 1937 in Tattnall County, Georgia. Sinkey was the son of the late Tessie and Alifare Boone.

He, as many of his family members, was a shrimp fisherman. Seeking to reduce his by-catch, Sinkey invented a device that is known as The Georgia Jumper. It is an original one-of-a-kind design. By decreasing the number of unwanted fish and creatures caught in trawl nets, fisherman can trawl longer.

In 1987, the United States required all trawling shrimping boats to equip their nets with turtle excluder devices (TEDs). As a follow-up, two years later, the shrimp-turtle law was implemented. This required all countries that the USA was importing shrimp from to certify that the shrimp they shipped were harvested by boats equipped with TEDs. Countries that cannot guarantee the use of the escape devices are banned from exporting shrimp to the USA.

Survivors are his sister, Taffie Pierce of Darien, brothers, Don and Dot Boone, Dan and Mildred Boone, and Mack Boone, all of Darien, six children, Howell and Bertha Boone of Darien, Greg and Holly Boone of Darien, Nancy and Leon Davis of Brunswick, Jeannette Boone of Darien, Milledge Boone of Darien and Shaun and Lindsey Boone of Athens, Ga., mother of the Children, 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made "In memory of Sinkey Boone" to the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service, 715 Bay St., Brunswick, Ga., 31520. The donations will be utilized to help continue the work that Sinkey cared so much about.

Please join us in remembering Sinkey by visiting our memorial at www.edomillerandsons.com. Through this site, we invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with his family.