Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has moved for an amendment to the Gujarat Fisheries Rules, 2003, to introduce new regulations for trawl net fishing and making compulsory the use of a Turtle Excluder Device (TED) in trawl nets to protect marine life.

The State government has published the draft of new rules under Section 30 of the Gujarat Fisheries Act, 2003 for public awareness. The government will  consider these rules after 30 days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

People affected by these rules can send their objections or suggestions to the Secretary (Fisheries) at the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, and Cooperation Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, within this period. The government will consider all feedback before finalizing the rules.

The draft notification  states that the new rules may be called the Gujarat Fisheries (2nd Amendment) Rules, 2025.

It further states that in the Gujarat Fisheries Rules, 2003, in rule 7, after sub-rule (43), the following sub-rule shall be added, namely :- “(44) In case of fishing by trawl netting, no trawl net shall be used for fishing without a Turtle Excluder Device (TED) attached before the cod end of the trawl net.”

It’s worth noting here that the United States of America has issued one-year ultimatum to Indian fishermen over safety of Turtels, and caused a threat of USD 3 billion seafood exports in danger.

The United States has issued a stark warning to Indian fishermen, threatening to halt the import of Indian seafood worth approximately $3 billion (₹25,000 crore) if they fail to adopt turtle-safe fishing practices within a year. The ultimatum comes as a direct result of concerns over the high mortality rate of sea turtles entangled in Indian trawler fishing nets.

Indian fishermen using trawler nets do not employing Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), which allow sea turtles to escape from nets. The US government mandates the use of TEDs to protect endangered sea turtle populations. In 2018, a delegation from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries visited India to address this issue and emphasize the importance of using TEDs.

This isn’t the first time the US has taken action against Indian seafood exports. Previously, a ban on Indian shrimp exports due to similar concerns resulted in a loss of approximately $600 million (₹5,000 crore) annually for Indian exporters.

The US ultimatum poses a significant threat to India’s seafood industry, as the US accounts for roughly 30% of India’s total seafood exports. The potential loss of $3 billion in exports would have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of countless fishermen and related industries.

Indian fishermen are reportedly hesitant to adopt TEDs due to fears that they will reduce their catch. They worry that the devices will allow fish to escape along with the turtles.

The US has given Indian fishermen a year to comply with the regulations and implement the use of TEDs. Failure to do so will result in a complete ban on Indian seafood imports, significantly impacting the Indian economy. DeshGujarat