UNITED STATES – IMPORT PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN SHRIMP AND SHRIMP PRODUCTS
Document: Status Report by the United States Addendum
Date: 15 October 1999
Document codes: WT/DS58/15/Add.2
Complainant: India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand
Respondent: U.S.
Third parties: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, EU, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Pakistan, Thailand
Dispute stage: Implementation & Compliance
Agreements cited: Art. I, XI, XIII, XX  GATT 1994

UNITED STATES – IMPORT PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN SHRIMP AND
SHRIMP PRODUCTS
Status Report by the United States
Addendum
The following communication, dated 14 October 1999, from the Permanent Mission of the
United States to the Chairman of the Dispute Settlement Body, is circulated pursuant to Article 21.6
of the DSU.
Status Report Regarding Implementation of the Recommendations and Rulings
in the Dispute regarding United States - Import Prohibition of
Certain Shrimp and Shrimp Products
On 25 November 1998, the United States informed the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of its
intention to implement the recommendations and rulings of the DSB in connection with this matter
and to do so in a manner which is consistent with our firm commitment to the protection of
endangered species, including sea turtles. At that time, the United States also advised the DSB that a
“reasonable period of time” would be required to complete this process. On 21 January 1999, the
United States and the other parties to the dispute reached agreement on 13 months as a reasonable
period for implementation. Therefore, as provided for in Article 21.6 of the Understanding on Rules
and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes, this third report on the status of our
implementation is being presented.
As noted in our first report, our implementation of the recommendations and rulings of the
DSB in this matter has several distinct elements and has and will continue to include opportunities for
input from the other parties to the dispute. In our previous reports we provided detailed reports on the
status of our implementation efforts. This report focuses on what has developed since our most recent
report.
We would recall that on 8 July 1999, the United States Department of State issued revised
guidelines implementing our Shrimp/Turtle law. The revised guidelines, in accordance with the
recommendations and rulings of the DSB, are intended to: (1) introduce greater flexibility in
considering the comparability of foreign programmes and the US programmes and (2) elaborate a
timetable and procedures for certification decisions, including an expedited timetable to apply in 1999
only. These latter changes are designed to increase the transparency and predictability of the
certification process and to afford foreign governments seeking certification a greater degree of due
process.

On the basis of the revised guidelines, we are pleased to report that in response to a request
from the Government of Australia, the United States has approved imports from the Spencer Gulf
Region of Southern Australia. Based on complete and well documented information presented by the
Government of Australia and the State of Southern Australia, the Department of State, in consultation
with the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service, f ound that the shrimp trawl fishery in the Spencer
Gulf does not pose a threat of the incidental taking of sea turtles.