The Indian government has taken a significant step towards addressing the U.S. ban on Indian wild-caught shrimp (IWS) imports by focusing on educating fisherfolk in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and Veraval, Gujarat, about the importance of turtle excluder devices (TEDs). This initiative comes in response to the ban imposed in November 2019, which has resulted in substantial economic losses, estimated at ₹1,500 crore to Andhra Pradesh and approximately ₹4,500 crore annually to the country as a whole.
Under Section 609 of US Public Law 101-162, the U.S. prohibited the import of IWS due to concerns about unregulated Indian fishing practices posing a threat to endangered turtles. Specifically, it highlighted the absence of turtle excluder devices in Indian mechanical trawlers operating beyond eight nautical miles in areas such as the eastern Bay of Bengal and the western Arabian Sea.
It is estimated that around 30,000 motorised and mechanised boats in Andhra Pradesh lack TEDs and are not adhering to U.S. guidelines. To address this issue, the Indian government, through the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and the States’ Fisheries department, is actively promoting awareness and implementation of TEDs among fisherfolk.
Special drives and workshops are being organized to educate stakeholders on the significance of TEDs in protecting turtles while ensuring compliance with U.S. standards. Shaik Lal Mohammed, Joint Director of the Fisheries department in Visakhapatnam, emphasized the government’s commitment to reintroducing Indian shrimp products into the U.S. market through the adoption of TEDs.
He highlighted recent workshops held in Kochi, where experts from organizations like the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, the U.S., and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) demonstrated the practical benefits of TEDs in safeguarding turtles. Before the ban, the U.S. accounted for 20% of India’s total IWS exports, indicating the significance of reopening this market. Moreover, the ban has led to a decline in the unit value of IWS exports in other countries, underlining the urgency of addressing the regulatory concerns raised by the U.S.