While the Mexican tuna sector is still recovering from the effects caused by the tuna fishing ban, Mexico may be threatened with yet a new embargo if John Kerry were to win the elections and become the next President of the United States, told Carlos Hussong Gonzalez, president of the National Fishing Industry Chamber (Canainpesca) to the Mexican press. “John Kerry is married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, owner of Starkist, one of the three U.S. companies promoting the tuna embargo,†he said.
According to Mr. Hussong, the Mexican industry hopes that the republican George W. Bush will win the elections next November and be re-elected President of the United states, contrary to the almost consistent wishes of the global society. The reason for the sector’s interest in Mr. Bush is very simple. Although the Mexican tuna industry is still caught in the tuna embargo web established by the U.S. since 1990 and causing the industry between USD 600 and 800 million loss in turnover per annum, Bush’ government has taken firm steps towards opening the U.S. borders to Mexican tuna.
Meanwhile, the democrat John Kerry is married with Teresa Heinz Kerry, widow and heir of the Heinz brand and owner of Starkist ( Note Atuna – Starkist is now owned by DelMonte Foods) , the company that commercializes 70 percent of the U.S. tuna, major player in the tuna global market and close collaborator to the Earth Island Institute (EII). EII is an environmental organization promoter of the Mexican tuna ban for the past two decades, receiving 5 US cents per case for the use of the “Dolphin Safe†label; a very profitable business providing EII with USD 2 million per year.
Canainpesca’s president indicated that Mexico currently faces the tuna embargo with the U.S. due to a judge’s verdict in favor of EII against the official ruling made by the US government in December 2002 obliging the EII to modify its concept of Dolphin Safe and to lift the ban on Mexican tuna. Just two months ago, U.S. judge Thelton Henderson, of the Court of San Francisco, California, who has supported EII repeatedly, emitted a verdict the U.S. Department of Justice of the United States, in its decree imposed on EII. After that, the United States decided not to appeal against the ruling, reason why the Mexican government lobbied to obtain this appeal from the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to Chancellor Luis Derbez, if the U.S. government did not appeal, it would demonstrate the government’s lack of political willpower to fulfill an international agreement (AIDCP) and it would force Mexico to go to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Therefore, on October 8th, just one day before the end of the plea date, the U.S. government did appeal. Now there is a 60-day period for the Department of Justice to present the offenses caused by the judge ruling. After that the case could reach the U.S. Supreme Court and take between 8 to 12 months for a final verdict.
The December 2002 official decree confirmed sustainable fishing according to the Agreement of the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP). The concept of the agreement refers to the catch of the tuna species swimming together with dolphins, which is the case of Mexico; an agreement accepted internationally –with the exception of the United States- due to the EII protection. According to the Mexican press, there is an “AIDCP Dolphin Safe" label, which has been accepted and is applied by all producers world-wide, except for United States, which uses the “Dolphin Safe†label benefiting EII and supporting a fishing method where tunas are detected via satellite, however implies the catch of juvenile mammals, which is considered highly destructive the capture of tunas and that is considered highly devastative by the world scientists.
Since the start of the tuna ban against Mexico, the national industry lost half of its fleet, more than 10,000 people –mainly from Ensenada, Baja California, lost their jobs and the sector is processing only 50 percent of its full capacity.
Therefore the Mexican tuna industry wants George W. Bush to win the U.S. presidential elections enabling Mexico to continue to gradually win the battles against the EII and finally also win the tuna ban war.
Source: Mexican Press