Sea Turtle Conservation and Shrimp Imports

On January 29, 2003, the Department of State determined that Honduras and Venezuela no longer meet the requirements set by Section 609 of P.L. 101-162 related to the protection of sea turtles in the course of commercial shrimp harvesting. As a result of this determination, importation of shrimp harvested in Honduras and Venezuela with commercial fishing technology that may adversely affect endangered sea turtles will be prohibited. However, imports of shrimp harvested in Honduras and Venezuela by other means, including by aquaculture and with artisanal methods, may continue.

In making this determination, the Department expressed the hope that the import prohibition will be a brief measure. The Department will work closely with the Governments of Honduras and Venezuela to address concerns that led to this determination. In particular, the Department will explore the possibility of sending teams of experts to Honduras and Venezuela to work with fisheries and law enforcement officials and to assess steps taken by the Governments of Honduras and Venezuela to enforce their requirements to protect sea turtles in the course of shrimp harvesting.

P.L. 101-162 (Section 609) prohibits the importation of shrimp harvested in ways harmful to sea turtles unless the Department of State certifies that the harvesting nation either has a sea turtle protection program comparable to that of the United States, or has a fishing environment that does not pose a threat to sea turtles.

The chief component of the U.S. sea turtle conservation program is a requirement that commercial shrimp boats use sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) to prevent the accidental drowning of sea turtles in shrimp trawls.

The nations and economies that remain certified follow: Argentina, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Uruguay.