Six of the seven species of sea turtles are classified as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List and are found in CITES Appendix I. Bycatch is recognized as the main threat to this group of species (Wallace et al., 2013). According to a study between 1990 and 2008, more than 85,000 turtles were caught, "but due to the small percentage of fishing effort observed and reported (generally <1% of total fleets) this probably underestimates the true total by at least two orders of magnitude ”(Wallace et al., 2010: 1).

Shrimp trawling is generally considered as one of the least selective fishing methods because bycatch can compensate for shrimp catch by 20 to 1 or more (Eayrs, 2007). Shrimp trawlers in tropical regions of the world are especially problematic for sea turtles, as they are often accidentally caught by sharing the habitat with the target shrimp of these fisheries.

The turtle excluder device (TED) was developed in the 70s in the United States, reducing the mortality of turtles and other marine megafaunas by 97% (Eayrs, 2007), while increasing the productivity of trawling operations by reducing damage to the fishing gear, reducing the crushing of the catch, and reducing fuel costs (Gillet, 2008). Therefore, the Unites States passed legislation in 1989 that prohibits the import of harvested shrimp in a way that can negatively affect sea turtles, but offering an exception to those fisheries that use TEDs (Public Law 101-162, Section 609).

Meanwhile, the European Union, the main importer of shrimp in the world (FAO, 2018), does not require TEDs in the tropical shrimp fisheries from which they import, despite the fact that bycatch of sea turtles in shrimp trawls that do not use TEDs is estimated at around 7 turtles per fishing trip (Wallace et al. 2010: 1).

Of the countries that export tropical shrimp to the European Union (EU), it has been identified that at least six countries have no measures comparable to those in the US; these are: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Thailand, and Viet Nam; that between 2009 and 2014 exported an average of 121,000 tons of shrimp to the EU (FAO Globefish, 2015). These countries, with the exception of Viet Nam, have national legislation that requires the use of TEDs, but the regulations are not implemented properly (CRPMEM, 2017 (http://www.rapporttedeu.com/)).

The EU is party to many international conservation treaties and has further endorsed a range of international conservation oriented guidelines; many of which contain specific text that clearly outlines obligations to minimize harmful fishing practices, such as those that result in marine turtle bycatch, among these being the Sustainable Development Goals (eg Target 14.4 “By 2020 ... end … destructive fishing practices”) and resolutions in Conventions (eg. Convention on Migratory Species resolution 9.18 on Bycatch.).

In this motion we raise awareness of the problems associated with the lack TED implementation and we call on the European Union to work with exporting countries to support the uptake of effective mitigation measures for turtle bycatch, such as the use of TEDs. We also seek for industries that buy wild tropical shrimps, to consider voluntary measures to ensure that they do not contribute to marine turtle bycatch. And finally we ask IUCN to raise awareness about the importance of the adoption and implementation of TEDs in tropical shrimp fisheries.

• Association Française du Fonds Mondial pour la Nature - France [France]
• Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco [Monaco]
• International Fund for Animal Welfare [United States of America]
• Marine Research Foundation [Malaysia]
• Ministerio del Ambiente, Peru [Peru]
• Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères [France]
• Natural Resources Defense Council [United States of America]
• WWF - Deutschland [Germany]
• Wereld Natuur Fonds - Nederland [The Netherlands]
• World Wide Fund - Pakistan [Pakistan]
• World Wide Fund for Nature - International [Switzerland]