Door opens for Venezuela shrimp imports
The United States lifted restrictions on shrimp imports from Venezuela after the South American nation took steps to enforce laws on sea turtle fishing, according to the State Department.
U.S. law prohibits the importation of shrimp harvested in ways harmful to sea turtles and requires that commercial shrimp boats use sea turtle excluder devices to prevent the accidental drowning of sea turtles in shrimp trawls. Sea turtles are considered an endangered species.
The State Department also said it withdrew import privileges for Trinidad and Tobago, and for Panama over concerns about the ability of those countries to enforce the fisheries laws on commercial shrimpers.