September 3, 2024 โ The Port Arthur Area Shrimpersโ Association (โPAASAโ) and the Southern Shrimp Alliance jointly requested that the U.S. Department of State (โState Departmentโ) re-visit and suspend the certifications granted to Peru and Guatemala under Section 609 of Public Law 101-162.
Based on a law enacted in 1989, the Section 609 program is intended to ensure that shrimp harvested in a manner that harms endangered sea turtles is not imported into the United States. Under the program, the State Department, working with officials from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (โNOAAโ) Fisheries, certifies countries and/or individual fisheries as being in compliance with Section 609โs requirements and therefore eligible to supply the U.S. market with shrimp.