The Shrimp-Turtle Case

The United States (defendant) required domestic shrimpers to use turtle-safe equipment and banned importing shrimp caught without similar devices, including banning shrimp from countries lacking equivalent national restrictions even if the specific shrimp were caught with compliant equipment, using only an informal, non-transparent certification process with no uniform standards. Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, and India (plaintiffs) challenged the ban before the WTO; a panel found it violated GATT, and the U.S. appealed to the Appellate Body.