November 16, 1999
Contact: Peter Fugazzotto, 415-488-0370
Sea Turtle Restoration Project

Forest Knolls, CA -- Today, the Sea Turtle Restoration Project and Project Swarajya released a report documenting the impact of the World Trade Organization on both endangered sea turtles and traditional fishing communities. The report, titled Dead Sea Turtles: Good for the Global Economy?, highlights the continued mass killing of sea turtles by shrimp trawlers in India.

"This report shows the public about the detrimental influence of the WTO on environmental protection laws," stated Peter Fugazzotto, Associate Director of STRP and co-author of the report. "While Indian sea turtles activists fight for a national law to protect turtles from trawlers, the WTO creates a legitimacy for India to maintain a low environmental standard."

This year, 13,000 sea turtles washed up dead on India's Orissa Coast, the largest nesting site in the world for Olive ridley sea turtles. Over the past five years, 40,000 dead sea turtles have been counted on the beaches. Indian conservationists point to mechanized shrimp trawling as responsible for the majority of these needless deaths. Chitta Behera of the Indian NGO, Project Swarajya, is co-author of the report.

The report also shows how not using Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) impacts coastal fishing communities dependent on a healthy fish population. Mechanized shrimp trawlers that do not use TEDs deplete fish stocks, cause unfair competition with artisanal vessels, and are part of a process that exports much needed protein out of developing nations.

"The WTO is forwarding an economic system that makes no sense for the environment or local communities," added Fugazzotto. "Reforming the WTO is like trying to make the electric chair more humane. What's the point? If we really want to protect the environment and make people's lives better, we need to abolish the WTO."

The US Turtle Shrimp law requires all nations who wish to export shrimp to the US to have national laws in place requiring the use of TEDs or other comparable means of protection. An adverse ruling from the World Trade Organization in 1998 compelled the US State Department to weaken the guidelines of the law to allow the export of shrimp from nations that do not have national laws in place if individual vessels claim they are using TEDs. This has undermined the intent of the law which was to create a financial incentive for nations who put improved environmental laws in place.

Download a printable copy of the report or view it on the internet.

Photos of sea turtles are available for the press.

For extensive information on the WTO/sea turtle issue, please go to www.seaturtles.org.