Ecuador is the only Latin country exporting Dolphin-Safe canned tuna into the United States. Therefore, Ecuador does not benefit from the recent decision of the United States to buy tuna from countries fishing in waters where there are dolphins, without endangering them, indicated Caesar Rohón, president of the National Fishery Chamber.
On the contrary, said Rohón: because the U.S. decision to lift the ban on Mexican tuna and therefore clear the way for Mexico and other countries to market their tuna within the USA as Dolphin Safe. Mexico has Nafta tariff, which will become 0% in the year 2008.
Rohón explained that the U.S. had already approved the import of tuna (associated with dolphins during the capture) three years ago. However, the decision was not officially ruled because of legal claims by environmental groups.
The U.S. consumption reaches 590 million cartons of canned tuna (48 units per carton) per year. 18% of this quantity is supplied by Ecuador. Mexico can cover 10%, according to AgustÃn Jiménez, tuna industrialist.
The Ecuadorian fishing sector estimates that the sales of tuna, to the U.S. only, was about USD 100 million during 2002 and about USD 24 million during 2001, this was mostly in frozen pre-cooked tuna loins and partly tuna in pouch.
The larger fishing vessels (with capacity between 600 and 1,500 tons) will be able to change their fishing nets if the U.S. clearly rules in favor of catching tuna by this method, said Rohón.
In countries where this fishing method -associated with dolphins- is being used, vessels with capacity for 1,500 tons are fishing 10,000 tons while in Ecuador, vessels with this same capacity are only fishing 4,000 tons.
The Ecuadorian tuna sector will continue to insist on including the Preferential Andean Tariff ruling, because it considers that the lifting of the ban on Mexican canned tuna will represent a disadvantage for the country’s production.
Source : Ecuadorian Press