Fishers protest against U.S. ban on Indian wild-caught shrimp

Kerala fishermen protest U.S. ban on Indian shrimp due to lack of Turtle Extruder Devices, plan to meet Fisheries Minister.

Fishermen under the aegis of Kerala Fisheries Coordination Committee, representing fisheries trade unions across the spectrum of political affiliations, organised a march to the headquarters of the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) here on (July 18) Thursday against a U.S. ban on Indian wild-caught shrimp as Indian trawl nets are not equipped with Turtle Extruder Devices that help marine turtles caught in the nets to escape easily.

A press release from the committee said that fishermen’s unions would meet Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian on July 22 to discuss the issues at stake. A team from the State would also submit a petition to Parliament next week.

Former Minister for Fisheries S. Sarma inaugurated the protest march to CIFT. He claimed that the U.S. shrimp lobby’s narrow-mindedness led to the ban on Indian sea shrimp.

Speakers at the protest meeting also claimed that marine turtles were not trapped in fishing nets on the west coast of India. This was confirmed by a report by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in 2019, claimed the committee members. The speakers also warned that more hurdles could be imposed on Indian seafood exports to the U.S. in the name of marine mammal protection in the future.

Matsya Thozhilali Congress president P. Ashokan, V. Dinakaran, Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal Boat Owners’ Association and general secretary of the coordination committee Charles George were among the speakers at the protest meeting.