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Friday, March 7, 2003

Washington File: Honduras, Venezuela Shrimp Banned over Turtle Protection

usinfo.state.gov 06 March 2003

(State Department suggests trade measure need not last long) (530)

The Department of State has banned U.S. imports of shrimp from Honduras and Venezuela harvested from the wild because of inadequate protection for endangered sea turtles, the department has announced.

In a March 6 media note, the department said that imports of those countries' shrimp harvested by aquaculture and artisanal (non-mechanical) methods are still allowed.

"The Department expressed the hope that the import prohibition will be a brief measure," the note said, adding that it could send U.S. experts to work with officials of the two countries on improving turtle protection.

U.S. law requires that U.S. fleets shrimping in waters where turtles are known to migrate must use turtle-excluder devices -- which allow turtles to escape the shrimp nets. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has upheld later U.S. law that applied the same requirements on imported shrimp.

In May 2002 the State Department banned shrimp imports from Haiti and Indonesia.

Following is the text of the media note:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC

March 6, 2003

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 ofshrimp 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.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)

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