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Dolphin Death Act
From: "DR. KEN MARTEN"
<porpoise@lava.net>
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 03:04:22 -1000
To: MARMAM@UVVM.UVIC.CA
Subject: TUNA-PORPOISE
INFO WEBPAGE: http://www.earthtrust.org
E-MAIL REPLY ADDRESS: porpoise@lava.net
The international conservation
organization Earthtrust in Hawaii has now established a webpage devoted
to giving up-to-date information about the Clinton/Gore-backed "Dolphin
Death Bill" which has now passed through the House of Representatives
and is being considered in the Senate. The bill basically legalizes
massive killing of dolphins in the tuna fishery, and removes any legal
basis for dolphin-safe labelling or other meaningful monitoring of
the fishery.
The website is: http://www.earthtrust.org
Just click on the blue
print that says "DOLPHIN HOTLINE PAGE" at the top of the
home page.
I personally am a former
National Marine Fisheries Service porpoise observer on tunaboats,
as well as a cetacean research biologist, and am apalled by how poorly
the public (and Congress) is being informed, and the consequent apathy
and poor decision-making that is occurring with tens of millions of
dolphin lives at stake. The populations of dolphins at risk are already
heavily depleted.
As someone who has witnessed
thousands of dolphin deaths at sea, you can imagine my perspective
on this issue compared to debating the life or health of single dolphins
or whales. An essential fact to bear in mind is that the new legislation
will set an annual quota of 5,000--a number that can (and almost certainly
will) be killed in one net set by one tunaboat in one hour. Also,
with a quota in place and zero realistic way to monitor the kill (as
a former porpoise observer myself, I can state with some authority
that the proposed observer program would be futile-- see my testimony
to Congress on the webpage), it is basically open season again on
the dolphins.
The webpage consists of
information to help fill the information gap. Decisions and actions
are of course left to the reader. Marmam subscribers are already people
who care about marine mammal conservation. There is zero question
in my mind that this is the weak link in the marine mammal conservation
chain. Each reader should also ask himself if the actions of Congress
appear to properly represent other consumers/constituents as well.
Talk to other people. Spread the word, especially outside the marine
mammal community.
Finally, what if we discuss
the issue some on Marmam? It's worth a good rumble! Above all, if
you have anything to say, say it to your Senators.
Here is a brief summary
by my colleague Mark Palmer of Earth Island Institute, which also
appears as an introduction and summary at the beginning of the webpage:
The Dolphin Death Act, S.39 by Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and John
Breaux (D-LA), will be coming up for a vote on the Senate floor this
summer.
S.39 was developed by the
government and tuna fishing industry of Mexico, with the support of
the Clinton Administration and the Wise-Use Movement. If approved
by the Senate, S.39 would virtually REPEAL U.S. dolphin protection
laws. The House companion bill, H.R.408, was recently approved by
the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.
S.39 repeals current embargoes
on import and sale of tuna caught by mile-long purse seine nets, which
drown thousands of dolphins each year.
Furthermore, the legislation
would change the definition of "dolphin-safe" tuna to allow
chase, injury, netting, harassment, and killing of dolphins, as long
as an observer zero reports any dolphins dying outright. This false
"dolphin-safe" definition constitutes consumer fraud of
the highest order, all to placate the tuna fleets of Mexico, Colombia,
and Venezuela. The legislation would also allow U.S. tuna fleets to
again set the deadly nets on schools of dolphins.
Over the past four decades,
more than 7 million dolphins have been killed in tuna nets, which
are used deliberately to target schools of dolphins to catch the tuna
that swim beneath. Earth Island Institute and other organizations
launched an international boycott of tuna in 1988 to stop the killing
of dolphins by the tuna industry.
In 1990, the three largest
American tuna companies announced that they would only accept tuna
caught by methods known to be 'safe' for dolphins. Congress quickly
followed up, outlawing the import and sale of tuna caught by netting
dolphins.
The U.S. market is now
100% "dolphin-safe"; Canada, Europe, and Australia are also
almost entirely "dolphin-safe", covering more than 90% of
the world's canned tuna markets. Observed deaths of dolphins in the
tuna fishery have dropped from more than 100,000 annually in the late
1980's to only 2,574 last year.
In addition to undercutting
years of progress in dolphin protection efforts, S.39 would benefit
the drug trade in Latin America. The two largest cocaine busts in
maritime history happened aboard two tuna fishing vessels in 1995
and 1996, amounting to tons of cocaine destined for offloading in
Mexico for shipment across the U.S. border. Evidence is mounting that
major portions of the tuna industry have been bought by the notorious
Cali Cartel and Mexican drug gangs, including the Tijuana cartel.
The Dolphin Death Act was
defeated in Congress last year, through the filibuster threat of Senator
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and thousands of activists like you! Now the
bill is back.
Why are the Clinton Administration
and members of Congress supporting the repeal of U.S. dolphin protection
laws and opening a pipeline for the deadly cocaine trade of Colombia
and Mexico? Will they sacrifice dolphins on the altar of free trade?
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION
What is needed is a flood
of phone calls, faxes, and e-mail sent to members of the U.S. Senate,
urging them to oppose S.39, the Dolphin Death Act.
If you need to know who
your Senators are, contact your local Registrar of Voters or City
Hall. Information on contacting individual members of Congress is
available on the Internet (check the Planet Ark web page, for example,
for information on contacting members of Congress on this issue.)
The Capitol Switchboard
number is (202) 224-3121 -- ask to be connected with your Senator's
office.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN.
CALL EARTH ISLAND INSTITUTE (415) 788-3666 FOR ADDITIONAL INFO., OR
CLICK ON THE E-MAIL ICON TO SEND E-MAIL TO DR. MARTEN AT EARTHRUST
IN HAWAII.
And, that's it, folks. Have a look at the webpage and see what YOU
think. Tell others. Let's at least get informed.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Marten
Dr. Ken Marten Phone: (808)
259-8264
Director of Research FAX: (808) 235-7519
Earthtrust - Project Delphis e-mail: porpoise@lava.net
25 Kaneohe Bay Dr. website: http://www.earthtrust.org
Kailua, HI 96734
U.S.A.
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Updated October 9, 2004