State Dept. Permits Import of Spanish Red Shrimp

The State Department, in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, will allow royal red shrimp (Menopenaeus robustus) harvested in the Mediterranean Sea to be imported into the U.S. from Spain. Section 609 of Public Law 101--162 prohibits imports of certain types of shrimp in an effort to scale back incidental capture of sea turtles in nation’s commercial shrimp fisheries. “Since there are other shrimp fisheries in which Spanish vessels operate that could pose a threat to sea turtles, the Department is not able to determine that Spain qualifies for a national certification pursuant to this section,” said the order.