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Dolphins
Defenders has worked hard to protect dolphins from the adverse effects of commercial tuna fishing operations in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Defenders was instrumental in the adoption of the dolphin-safe label on tuna cans, a move that has decreased tuna-related dolphin deaths by approximately 97%. In the aftermath, Defenders continued to fight for dolphin protection.
In a major victory for dolphins in 2004, Defenders and our allies won a lawsuit in Federal District Court upholding the label against the Bush administration’s attempt to weaken the dolphin-safe label on tuna cans. The Administration appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, but the pro-dolphin coalition won a strong victory there in 2007. As a result, the dolphin-safe label keeps its original strong definition that ensures that only tuna caught without harming dolphins can bear this label.
In 2006, Defenders released a ground-breaking report on canned tuna purchased from across the country, entitled: “Is Our Tuna Family-Safe? Mercury in America’s Favorite Fish.” Our testing revealed high levels of mercury in some imported canned tuna, including light tuna, which the FDA had categorized as a “low-mercury fish.”
We linked the high mercury levels to suspected fishing practices that are more likely to kill dolphins, especially practices of the Ecuadorian and Mexican tuna fleets. The report was picked up in hundreds of newspapers, and dozens of radio and televisions broadcasts, including many in Mexico.
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