Last week U.S. based Earth Island Institute (EII) published the a press release in which they react on this weeks joint press release by Italian based WWF’s Mediterranean office, which was supported by Italian environmental and fisherman organizations and such as Marevivo, Legambiente, AGCI Pesca, and Legapesca. You find the WWF statement on the AIDCP Dolphin conservation program also on atuna’s news page, published on March 30th 2004. Here below the full text of EII’s reaction:
Earth Island Institute and environmental colleagues around the world believe that World Wildlife Fund Mediterranean's recent endorsement of the chasing, harassing, and killing of dolphins in order to catch tuna in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) is misguided and directly contravenes established science. Further, WWF Med's endorsement of the false labeling of tuna, caught while intentionally netting dolphins, as “Dolphin Safe†threatens to increase the tragic and unnecessary slaughter of dolphins.
The WWF Med Position Is Discredited by the Vast Majority of the Environmental and Scientific Community: Environmental organizations around the world have closely reviewed the impacts of the continued setting of nets on dolphins, and have consequently opposed weakening the current dolphin-safe label:
- Greenpeace USA, having analyzed the research proving significant harm to dolphins, now firmly opposes labeling any tuna caught by setting nets on dolphins as “Dolphin Safe.â€
- The Ocean Conservancy (formerly Center for Marine Conservation) suspended its support of the weakening of the "Dolphin Safe" tuna label standards in view of scientific studies documenting the impacts of the fishery and failure of depleted dolphin populations to recover in the ETP.
- The Dolphin Safe/Fair Trade Campaign, consisting of more than 85 non-governmental organizations, including Earth Island Institute, Defenders of Wildlife, Friends of the Earth, The Humane Society of the US, Humane Society International, and the International Wildlife Coalition, and many others, have denounced the chasing, harassing, and setting of nets on dolphins to catch tuna in the ETP and oppose any use of a phony "Dolphin Safe" label.
- More than 90% of the world's tuna industry, including the globe's largest tuna companies, have adopted the international standards for "Dolphin Safe" tuna of no chasing or encirclement of dolphins to catch tuna. They oppose the use of a dolphin-safe label on tuna caught by netting dolphins because of clear evidence that it is neither a humane nor scientifically supportable fishing method.
The WWF Med Position Lacks Scientific Credibility: The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) completed an extensive 5-year research effort in 2002. NMFS scientists prepared more than 34 separate research projects, available online, all of which were peer-reviewed by outside, independent experts. Some have already been published and some will soon be published in peer reviewed scientific publications, including the Journal of Marine Mammalogy and Nature. An expert Scientific Panel unanimously agreed with NMFS conclusions that dolphin populations are not recovering in the ETP due to unobserved dolphin kills, including:
- Separation of baby dolphins from their mothers during the chase, and resulting in certain death of the unattended young;
- Hundreds of thousands of violent chases, captures and net sets annually on dolphins in the ETP, resulting in increased, constant physiological stress, injury, and death. Many dolphins are chased and netted repeatedly each year;
- Illegal chasing and netting of dolphins by tuna vessels without observers; and
- False reporting of dolphin mortality by observers due to bribery or intimidation.
Federal courts in the United States have on three separate occasions ruled that the setting of nets on dolphins is having significant adverse impacts on dolphin populations. WWF Med, while claiming to be dedicated to sound science, has failed to undertake any meaningful analysis of the science or defense of its position, and instead has blindly adopted the propaganda of the IATTC and those fishing nations refusing to change fishing practices.
WWF Med Fails to Address the Failures of the IATTC Agreement: WWF is well aware of the corruption of the fishing agreement developed by Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and other nations in the ETP tuna fishery. In fact, WWF has made a formal statement on the record expressing "deep concern" with the IATTC's lack of compliance with and enforcement of the AIDCP agreement. Yet the IATTC record of enforcement and compliance failure continues unabated, including:
- Massive infractions, including use of explosives to herd and capture dolphins, inadequate gear to protect and release dolphins, setting nets on dolphins under extreme and hazardous conditions;
- Documented reports of regular bribery and intimidation of official observers to falsify reports of the netting of dolphins and to undercount dolphin deaths and injuries;
- Failing to confront illegal fishing activities of ETP vessels setting nets and killing dolphins in the Galapagos World Heritage Marine Reserve as well as in Panamanian and Costa Rican National Marine Reserves;
- Overfishing tuna stocks and increasing bycatch of sea turtles, sharks, billfish, and other non-target species as a result of failure of the IATTC and ETP tuna nations to prevent fleet over-capacity; and
- Failure to confront the documented use of tuna fishing vessels for massive smuggling of cocaine from Colombia and Ecuador to the U.S. and Europe, with involvement of the major drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico and the Mafia in Europe.
WWF Med's Misguided Policy Should Be Reversed: WWF Med's action is inconsistent with WWF marine conservation policy around the world. Endorsing the use of a "Dolphin Safe" label on tuna caught by netting dolphins risks perpetrating a fraud on consumers, who would mistakenly believe that the tuna they purchase is caught in ways that are "safe" for dolphins. WWF is well aware that use of this fishing technique cannot be defended as "safe" for dolphins.
WWF Med has failed to undertake any meaningful review of the science associated with the impacts of this fishery on dolphins. WWF Med's policy is misguided, scientifically discredited, and is a threat to dolphin conservation. It should be reversed.
Source: Earth Island Institute Press Release