2020年5月11日
国务院为保护世界各地的野生生物承担了重要的任务。为了执行这项使命，国务卿（或国务卿的代表）每年向国会（Congress）提出认证书，核准各产虾国家和经济体的政府和当局已为减少拖网捕虾导致海龟被误捕的情况建立有关项目。这项认证对各国向美国出口海虾的能力产生了影响。
今年，国务院暂停对中华人民共和国采用可能对海龟不利的拖网捕虾法进行的认证。国务院还暂停对委内瑞拉的认证，因为前马杜罗（Maduro）政权不允许美国技术团队入境评估委内瑞拉捕捞海虾的作业。
2020年，负责经济增长、能源和环境事务的副国务卿完成对37个国家和香港的认证，核准12个渔场为在海虾商业捕捞过程中保护海龟采取了适当的措施。每年的认证工作都以国务院和美国海洋和大气管理局（NOAA）国家海洋捕捞服务处（National Marine Fisheries Service）的代表赴海外验证为依据之一。根据公法（Public Law）101-161条（609款），认证获得通过则允许美国进口捕捞的野生海虾。
根据濒危物种法（Endangered Species Act），全世界7个种类的海龟中有6种被列为濒危或受到威胁的物种。执行第609款为各类海龟物种提供了巨大的保护。目前美国政府为其他国家提供技术和能力建设的援助，帮助这些国家保护和恢复各自的海龟物种并完成根据609款的认证工作。海龟逃逸装置（Turtle Excluder Devices）如得到妥善的设计、制造、安装、使用和维护，可使97%的海龟逃逸海虾捕捞网，同时不至于造成海虾捕捞量的明显损失。美国政府鼓励其他国家颁布类似的立法，避免因供应捕捞的海虾对海龟造成伤害。
有关国会认证书（Certification to Congress）的详情见 2020年4月30日出版的联邦纪事公告（Federal Register Notice）85 FR 24074。有关美国政府保护海龟工作的详情见国务院海洋保护办公室（Office of Marine Conservation）、国家海洋和大气管理局及渔业和野生生物服务局（Fish and Wildlife Service）的网站。

05/11/2020 04:13 PM EDT
Office of the Spokesperson
The Department of State plays an important role in protecting wildlife all over the world. As part of that mission, each year the Secretary of State (or the Secretary’s delegate) certifies to Congress that governments and authorities of shrimp-harvesting nations and economies have programs to reduce the incidental taking of sea turtles in shrimp trawl fisheries. This decision impacts the ability of countries to export shrimp to U.S. consumers.
This year, the Department suspended the certification of the People’s Republic of China for using shrimp trawl fishing methods that may adversely affect sea turtles. The Department also suspended the certification of Venezuela because the former Maduro regime would not permit the U.S. technical team into the country to assess Venezuela’s shrimp harvesting practices.For 2020, the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment certified 37 nations and Hong Kong and granted determinations for 12 fisheries as having adequate measures in place to protect sea turtles during the course of commercial shrimp fishing. Annual certifications are based in part on overseas verification visits by State Department and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service representatives. Certification allows for the importation of wild-caught shrimp into the United States pursuant to Section 609 of Public Law 101-162 (“Section 609”).
Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Implementation of Section 609 provides considerable benefits to sea turtle species. The U.S. government currently provides technology and capacity-building assistance to other nations to help them protect and revitalize their sea turtle species and to help them certify under Section 609. When properly designed, built, installed, used, and maintained, Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) allow 97 percent of sea turtles to escape the shrimp net without appreciable loss of shrimp. The U.S. government encourages similar legislation in other countries to prevent the importation of shrimp harvested in a manner harmful to sea turtles.
For more information on the Certification to Congress, please see the Federal Register Notice published on April 30, 2020, at 85 FR 24074. For more information on U.S. government sea turtle conservation efforts, please visit the websites of the State Department’s Office of Marine Conservation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Fish and Wildlife Service.