The United States has certified 37 countries, 13 fisheries in seven other nations, and Hong Kong as having shrimp-harvesting practices that protect sea turtle populations, according to the U.S. State Department.
The State Department’s findings were published last week in the Federal Register and publicized in a press release issued Monday, 16 May, 2022. The determinations means wild-caught shrimp from those countries are eligible to be imported into the U.S.
The countries certified include Argentina, the Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Gabon, Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Peru, Russia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
The additional fisheries that were certified are based in Australia (Northern Prawn Fishery, the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery, the Spencer Gulf, and the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery), France (French Guiana), Italy (giant red shrimp), Japan (shrimp baskets in Hokkaido), Malaysia (Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Johor), Spain (Mediterranean red shrimp), and South Korea (mosquito nets).