With the United States of America’s ban on export of wild- caught shrimp from India still remaining in force since 2019, the Odisha chapter of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has sought for the use of Turtle Excluder Device (TED) in fishing trawl nets to put brakes on net-entanglement induced death of Olive Ridley turtles to remove the US embargo on import.

The USA Department of State hasn’t notified India as a certified nation for exporting wild- caught shrimp to the USA under Section 609 of US Public Law 101-162 because the TED as per the specification of US NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) is not being used in Mechanical Trawler in India.

Section 609 provides that shrimp or products from shrimp may not be imported into the United States unless the U.S. Department of State certifies that the exporting nation harvests shrimp without adversely affecting sea turtles, said Dr Joice V. Thomas, Chief Executive of the government- run Network for Fish Quality Management & Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH), Kochi.

The seafood industry across the country is incurring huge losses due to the US embargo. Therefore the implementation of TED in fishing trawl nets is the need of the hour, said Odisha coordinator, MPEDA, Subhrakanta Mohapatra. He said this while addressing the State Level Stakeholders Workshop on Implementation of TED in Trawl gears in Odisha, organized by MPEDA Regional Division in association with the Department of Fisheries of Odisha Government. The ban on export of wild caught shrimp to the USA is causing a loss of around Rs.4500 crore (USD 550 Million) to the country. The ban has now witnessed reduction of unit value for Indian wild shrimp, added Thomas.

A TED is an escape hatch in the net. Small items like shrimp pass through the grid bars and into the end of the net. Large items, like sea turtles, are blocked by the grid and directed by the grid’s sloping angle to an exit hole cut in the net. The turtles could swim to safety if the nets were fitted with TED, said Debananda Bhanja, Additional Director, Odisha Department of Fisheries. Turtles die after getting entangled in fishing nets. The risk to turtles can be reduced by equipping trawlers with TED. The device reduces the capture of turtles by 97 per cent, while only reducing the total amount of prawns by two per cent, said Archiman lahari, Deputy Director, MPEDA, Bhubaneswar.

The mortality of the olive ridleys along the Odisha coast is attributed mainly due to the trawling operations in the sea leading to the incidental killing of these marine animals, who are scheduled animals enjoying highest protection under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The species perish either by getting entangled in fishing nets or being hit by fishing trawler’ propellers.

It may be recalled here that the Orissa High Court, in a ruling way back in 1998, had directed that all trawlers operating in the area shall be required to use TED to avoid entanglement of sea turtles. However the HC order is being flagrantly flouted by trawl operators because of slack patrol by authorities concerned.

The Gahirmatha rookery in Odisha’s Kendrapara district is regarded as the World’s largest nesting beach of olive turtles. The Olive turtles turn up in millions for mass nesting along the Odisha coast every year anytime between February to March. Apart from Gahirmatha, these threatened aquatic animals turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth in Odisha for mass nesting.