US Shrimp Import Restrictions: Only Wild-Caught Affected - Fisheries Minister

New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) The US has not imposed a blanket ban on shrimp imports from India, including Kerala, and the restrictions are targeted only at wild-caught shrimp, the government said on Tuesday.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said, "USA has not implemented a blanket ban on Indian shrimp imports including Kerala. The restrictions are specifically targeted at wild-caught shrimp, primarily due to concerns regarding sea turtle conservation."

While exports of wild-caught shrimp to the US are currently limited, shipment of wild-caught shrimp to other countries remain unaffected, he added.

The minister informed that the Department of Commerce, through Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), has been proactively taking up the matter with USA through the embassy of India in Washington DC.

The department through MPEDA in consultation with both the US Department of State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has tested several versions of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) fabricated by ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).

Further, Department of Commerce through MPEDA has organised state level workshops on popularization of the TED and is conducting awareness programmes among boat owners and fishers across all the major harbours and landing centres of the country.

"Department of Commerce has taken up the matter through various bilateral mechanisms between India and the US at both official and ministerial level. Some of such recent interventions have been through the India-US Trade Policy Forum (TPF) held in New Delhi in January 2024 and the Trade Policy Forum Inter-sessional held in September 2024," Singh said.

US imposed a ban in 2019 on importing wild-caught shrimps from India, which is still in effect, citing that protected sea turtles get entangled in fishing nets.