Saving the Dolphins
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- - ·-· .. -- - - - . - - . E.S . Si p_, , SAVING_, T.HE DOLPHINS --------�----------------------Victories-------- and a New Threat ----- --- . ------- --- -----.; .. ---- --·- -- - ----' z 0 in w� !!? z 0 (J) a.. :. 0 I >- <( I a. w. (J) r·0" ,,, ' '""' l'li.,_,__ _ Thousands of dolphins have canned tuna began to gain mo barbaric practice began, approx long with the victories, been spared a grisly death mentum, there has been an un imately thirty years ago, more Ahowever, came a serious in tuna-fishing nets thanks to precedented public outcry than 7 million dolphins have setback. After the major Amer tworecent landma rk victories in against the slaughter. That out died in purse-seine nets ican tuna canners announced our ongoing fight to save the cry led to the two major vic drowned, mutilated, dismem that they would no longer buy dolphins: the adoption of dol tories in the campaign to save bered, or crushed in net-hauling tuna caught by setting nets on phin-safe policies bymajor U.S. the dolphins. machinery. dolphins, Italian and Spanish tuna canners and the passage of By last April the consumer Hours after the StarKist an canners took advantage of the the Dolphin Protection Con- boycott had forced the H. J. nouncement, the producers of resulting crash in the price of two other major Ameri such tuna and began buying can brands of tuna, large quantitiesof it fromMex Chicken of the Sea and ico, Venezuela, and Vanuatu. In w Bumble Bee, announced recent years those three coun I that they too were going tries have been primarily : �r dolphin safe. Bumble responsible for the dolphin , Q Bee, however, failed to slaughter in the ETP. Mexico, if. :5 meet the dolphin-safe which maintains the largest .t !!? standards set by the dol fishing fleet still setting its nets phin-protection com on dolphins in the ETP, fifty munityuntil March of this eight vessels, is by farthe worst Q :::, year. After numerous offender; it has been estimated "' :5 meetings with the com that by engaging in dolphin ;:, pany's representatives and deadly fishing practices, Mex cl, careful monitoring of its ican crews are killing 80,000 Dolphins are deliberately trapped in nets with purchasing practices, The dolphins each year-out of a tuna (large photo). Hundreds drown (top inset) � HSUS and other mem- total annual kill of 100,000 in or are dragged through net-hauling machinery purse-seine fishery. (bottom inset). Although major American tuna � bers of the dolphin canners have adopted dolphin-safe policies. iii protectioncommunity are Those three nations and the Mexican. Venezuelan. and Vanuatuan vessels ffi now satisfiedthat Bumble Italian and Spanish canners buy continue to slaughter dolphins and sell their 2l Bee tuna is dolphin safe. ing their tuna have failed to re tuna catch to European canners. HSUS repre a:< c, The canners of Deep Sea spond to appeals from con sentatives are in contact with the European ____________________________:,: __ ____J a: tuna and Ocean Light cerned consumers around the Community. working to have these markets for This dead dolphin was the victim of a drift net, a devastating ki tuna have also satisfied world. At a meetingattended by dolphin-deadly tuna closed. of marine mammals. Tuna canners that adopt dolphin-safe polic1e the dolphin-safe stan HSUS representatives, a repre will no longer buy tuna that was caught with drift nets. dards. sentative of the Italian tuna We cheeredour second canners' association made it sumer Information Act. Heinz Company, which owns great victory for the dolphins at clear that thecanners did not in But we can't rest easy. Tens of StarKist, the largest tuna canner the end of 1990, when Congress tend to change their purchasing thousands of dolphins are still in the world, to change its poli passed the Dolphin Protection policies to protect dolphins. dying each year because the cies radically. H. J. Heinz sud Consumer Information Act. The There are other forces we can tuna fleets of a few renegade na denly announced that it would legislation establishes a defini bring to bear, however. The tions persist in the cruel and no longer purchase tuna caught tion of dolphin safe, regulates HSUS is working to get the wasteful practice of setting nets by setting purse-seine nets on the use of the "Dolphin Safe" European Commission to stop on herds of dolphins in order to dolphins or by using gill and label on tuna cans, and provides Italy and Spain from buying catch thetuna that swim under drift nets, which also kill large for enforcement through penal dolphin-deadly tuna and distrib them. While mindful of the numbers of marine mammals. ties for false claims. uting it to stores and restaurants progress that has been made, we The company pledged to fulfill Many dolphins have been throughout the European Com must continue our efforts to at that policy by buying only tuna saved, and many more will be munity. tain a total ban on fishing that had been certified dolphin saved, through the adoption of Mexico, Venezuela, and Van methods that harm the gentle safeby government observers on dolphin-safe policies and the uatu, meanwhile, have been and intelligent dolphins. board fishing vessels in the regulation of dolphin-safe label slapped with a U.S. trade em Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) ing. Those victories were bargo against their yellowfin ince 1988, when biologist Ocean. achieved by all those that joined tuna, as mandated by the Ma SSam LaBudde's shock It is in the ETP, which ex in the boycott of dolphin-deadly rine Mammal Protection Act ing videotape documenting the tends from the coast of southern tuna-school and business caf (MMPA). The MMPA forbids deaths of thousands of dolphins California to the coast of Chile, eterias, restaurants, markets, U.S. and foreign fleets to sell in the tuna nets of a Panamanian that the practiceof settingpurse and, most important, caring yellowfin tuna in the United fishing vessel stunned Ameri seine nets on dolphins in order consumers such as you. States if they kill more dolphins cans and the HSUS consumer to catch the tuna that swim Through your commitment,you than the law allows. All three of backed national boycott of under them occurs. Since that did it; you made the difference! those countries are currently ex- ceeding U.S. quotas. phin-protection community, Mexico is contesting the em promoted was pivotal in forcing bargo byclaiming that it violates tuna canners to adopt dolphin international free-trade agree safe policies. We spearheaded ments and has filed a formal legislative efforts to enact the Top Priority complaint with the General federal regulations that now •Send the two enclosed postcards-one to Gustavo Petricioli, Mex Agreementon Tariffsand Trade. govern tuna-labeling practices, ico's ambassador to the United States, protesting Mexican fleets' The embargo also faces another, and we're continuingto work for continuing dolphin slaughter and one to Manuel Mann, vice presi more serious threat: the Bush legislationthat would require all dent of the European Commission, expressing concern over the administrationmay try to amend tuna to be dolphin safe and la commission's failure to stop Italian and Spanish canneries from the MMPA in order to forge a beled as such. turning Europe into a dumping ground for tuna caught in the ETP free-tradeagreement with Mex Now we, along with other by dolphin-deadly means. Use the enclosed order formto request ico and Canada. The HSUS, dolphin-protection groups, are additional postcards. however, is committed to seeing contacting major grocery-store •Boycott all tuna that is not dolphin safe. Purchase only tuna whose that the embargo is not lifted or chains and asking them to adopt can displays a "Dolphin Safe"label, and ask your grocer to stock weakened in any way until Mex a poli cy of stocking only dol only dolphin-safe tuna. Urge the managers of restaurants and ico, Venezueia, and Vanuatu phin-safe tuna. Our goal is to cafeterias to buy and serve only dolphin-safe tuna as well. Write stop killing dolphins. make all tuna sold in the United a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, explaining why con States dolphin safe! sumers should purchase only dolphin-safe tuna. The HSUS worked hard to In all the victories on behalf win the passage of the of the dolphins, consumers have To Do More to Help the Dolphins MMPA in 1972 and has been in had the most powerful voice. •Write to President George Bush at the White House, Washington, the forefront of the fightto save Consumers must continue to use DC 20500, expressing your outrage at the unconscionable fishing the dolphins ever since. The that voice to save these unique, practices of Mexico, Venezuela, and Vanuatu. Ask him to enforce consumer boycott that we, along intelligent, and gentle-hearted the MMPA strictly,maintain the MMPA-mandated embargo against with other members of the dol- creatures. ■ Mexican, Venezuelan, and Vanuatuan tuna imports, and stay firm on the issue during free-trade negotiations with Mexico and Canada. •Write to His ExcellencyRinal do Petrignani, Ambassador of Italy, Italian Embassy, 1601 Fuller St., NW, Washington, DC 20009, and His Excellen cy Jaime de Ojeda, Ambassador of Spain, Spanish Embassy, 2700 15th St., NW, Washington, DC 0 20009. Urge each one to take ?; immediate action to stop Italian g or Spanish canneries from pur G chasin.g tuna caught by setting � purse-seine nets on dolphins. � Point out that by buying § dolphin-deadly tuna, canneries ii: are perpetuating a needless ijJ slaughter and undermining � global efforts to ban the use of ffi that destructive fishery. :x: •Finally, help The HSUS in its i fightto save �e dolphins and all � the other ammals that suffer at More than 7 mllllon dolphins have died In purse-seine tuna nets since the barbaric practice the hands of human beings.