US bans Mexico shrimp on sea turtle concerns

Yahoo News 26 Mar 10;

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States has moved to formally ban the import of Mexican shrimp caught with trawl fishing methods that may affect sea turtles, the State Department said on Thursday.

The ban, which will come into effect in April, concerns slightly more than half of all Mexican shrimp exports to the United States.

"Wild-harvest shrimp from Mexico's commercial trawl fisheries may not be imported into the United States effective April 20, 2010," after the shrimping season has ended, a statement said on Thursday.

The State Department notified Congress of the decision on Wednesday.

US officials have provided technical recommendations to Mexico and will seek to help reinstate the shrimp certification "within the shortest period of time," the statement said.

Mexico's fishing authorities said at the start of March that they had been informed of the decision but that it would have a "minor impact" on shrimp exports.

They said they hoped to renew the affected exports for the new season in mid-September after showing that they met sea turtle protection standards.

Mexico last year exported more than 40,000 metric tons of shrimp to the United States, at an estimated value of 332 million dollars.