Concern over deficient turtle protection triggers US ban on shrimp imports Decision could cost US $300mn annually but efforts are under way to comply with protection measures Published on Monday, May 3, 2021 1share The United States has suspended Mexico’s certification to export wild-caught shrimp to the U.S. due to inadequate sea turtle protection measures, a move that could cost the industry about US $300 million annually. The State Department said it suspended Mexico’s certification because its sea turtle protection program is no longer comparable to that of the United States. Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry (Sader) said in a statement that United States authorities conducted verification visits to fishing ports in several Mexican states between 2019 and 2021 and detected “deficiencies” in the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) on 106 shrimp nets.