Kerala is calling on the central government to use diplomatic channels to address the ban imposed by the United States on shrimp exports, which is justified by concerns over sea turtle protection. The US has cited the risk of turtles becoming entangled in fishing nets, which can lead to their deaths.
India exports fish products worth approximately Rs 67,000 crore annually, with shrimp exports contributing Rs 2,000 crore. Kerala, in particular, faces a potential loss of Rs 1,500 crore due to this ban, which was enforced in 2019. The embargo has also led to a price drop of up to 41% in shrimp exports to other markets such as the European Union, Japan, and China.
In response, Kerala has developed Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) intended to prevent turtles from being caught in fishing nets. Although initial approval was not granted, recent successful tests of the revised TED offer hope for overcoming the export restrictions.
