Years before the threat to turtles became a global issue, the US imposed trade sanctions on the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago's shrimp exports, because it believed that the trawlers were killing turtles. The Trinidad and Tobago government complied with the US demands, which wanted the trawlers to be fitted with turtle excluder devices (TEDs). A closer look revealed that there were no turtles in the waters of the west coast where shrimp harvesting is done. This is because the outflow of the Orinoco river makes the water too brackish for turtles to feed or nest. Meanwhile, on the east coast, thousands of turtles come every year to nest. But there the threat was not from the trawlers but humans, who had developed a taste for turtle meat and eggs. This shows the danger of applying standards developed for one country while attempting to chastise another.