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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30318-30319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12750]

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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

 [Public Notice: 9147]

Certifications Pursuant to Section 609 of Public Law 101-162

SUMMARY: On April 27, 2015, the Department of State certified, pursuant 
to Section 609 of Public Law 101-162, that 14 nations have adopted 
programs to reduce the incidental capture of sea turtles in their 
shrimp fisheries comparable to the program in effect in the United 
States. The Department also certified that the fishing environments in 
26 other countries and one economy do not pose a threat of the 
incidental taking of sea turtles protected under Section 609.

DATES: Effective on Publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen J. Wilger, Office of Marine 
Conservation, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and 
Scientific Affairs, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520-7818; 
telephone: (202) 647-3263; email: wilgersj2@state.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 609 of Public Law 101-162 (``Section 
609'') prohibits imports of certain categories of shrimp unless the 
President certifies to the Congress by May 1, 1991, and annually 
thereafter, either: (1) That the harvesting nation has adopted a 
program governing the incidental capture of sea turtles in its 
commercial shrimp fishery comparable to the program in effect in the 
United States and has an incidental take rate comparable to that of the 
United States; or (2) that the fishing environment in the harvesting 
nation does not pose a threat of the incidental taking of sea turtles. 
The President has delegated the authority to make this certification to 
the Department of State (``the Department''). Revised State Department 
guidelines for making the required certifications were published in the 
Federal Register on July 2, 1999 (Vol. 64, No. 130, Public Notice 
3086).
    On April 27, 2015, the Department certified 14 nations on the basis 
that their sea turtle protection programs are comparable to that of the 
United States: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gabon, 
Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, 
Panama, and Suriname. The Department also certified 26 shrimp 
harvesting nations and one economy as having fishing environments that 
do not pose a danger to sea turtles. Sixteen nations have shrimping 
grounds only in cold waters where the risk of taking sea turtles is 
negligible. They are: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, 
Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, 
Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. Ten nations 
and one economy only harvest shrimp using small boats with crews of 
less than five that use manual rather than mechanical means to retrieve 
nets, or catch shrimp using other methods that do not threaten sea 
turtles. Use of such small-scale technology does not adversely affect 
sea turtles. The 10 nations and one economy are: The Bahamas, Belize, 
China, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Oman, Peru, 
Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. The Department of State has communicated the 
certifications under Section 609 to the Office of Field Operations of 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
    All DS-2031 forms accompanying shrimp imports from uncertified 
nations must be originals and signed by the competent domestic 
fisheries authority.
    Shrimp harvested with turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in an 
uncertified nation may, under specific circumstances, be eligible for 
importation into the United States under the DS-2031 section 7(A)(2) 
provision for ``shrimp harvested by commercial shrimp trawl vessels 
using TEDs comparable in effectiveness to those required in the United 
States.'' Use of this provision requires that the Department of State 
determine in advance that the government of the harvesting nation has 
put in place adequate procedures to monitor the use of TEDS in the 
specific fishery in question and to ensure the accurate completion of 
the DS-2031 forms. At this time, the Department has made such a 
determination only with respect to specific and limited fisheries in 
Australia and France. Thus, the importation of TED-caught shrimp from 
any other uncertified nation will not be allowed. For Australia, shrimp 
harvested in the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Fishery, the Northern Prawn 
Fishery,

[[Page 30319]]

the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery, and the Torres Strait Prawn 
Fishery are eligible for entry under this provision. For France, shrimp 
harvested in the French Guiana domestic trawl fishery are eligible for 
entry under this provision. An official of the competent domestic 
fisheries authority for the country where the shrimp were harvested 
must sign the DS-2031 form accompanying these imports into the United 
States.
    In addition, the Department has determined that shrimp harvested in 
the Spencer Gulf region in Australia and Mediterranean red shrimp 
(Aristeus antennatus) harvested in the Mediterranean Sea by Spain may 
be exported to the United States under the DS-2031 section 7(A)(4) 
provision for ``shrimp harvested in a manner or under circumstances 
determined by the Department of State not to pose a threat of the 
incidental taking of sea turtles.'' An official of the Government of 
Australia or Spain must certify the DS-2031 form accompanying these 
imports into the United States.

    Dated: May 20, 2015.
David A. Balton,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and Fisheries, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2015-12750 Filed 5-26-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4710-09-P
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