New Delhi, July 23 -- All nine coastal States - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal - have amended their respective legislation to mandate the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in trawl nets to save the endangered marine species from extinction, the Government told Parliament today.



"The move is aimed at strengthening the implementation of India's marine turtle conservation programme," Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, George Kurian said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.



He said Centre has urged states and UTs to issue appropriate notifications and circulars under existing MFRA provisions, and to consider the immediate declara...