Dolphins and the Tuna Industry (1992) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-12
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Despite improvements in techniques and in gear that have substantially reduced the number of dolphins killed in the ETP tuna fishery, thousands of dolphins are still killed each year. When the Congress reauthorized the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA)
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The first is the number of times purse seines are set around dolphins, and the second is the number of dolphins killed in each such set. The first factor is affected by market prices, the availability of tuna of different sizes, restrictions such as the policy of some processors not to buy tuna caught on trips that have involved the intentional encirclement or death of dolphins (so-called "dolphin-safe" tuna)
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THE CURRENT FISHERY More than 70 nations participate in the world tuna fishery, but only 10 of those nations account for almost 85% of the catch. In 1989, Japan accounted for about 29% and the United States for 12%.
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DOLPHIN MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TUNA FISHERY Although no accurate data on dolphin mortality are available for the early years (1950-1972) , the increased offshore operation of increasingly sophisticated fishing vessels setting their nets on herds of dolphins clearly led to very high mortality, especially in the ETP.
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Additional regulations apply to fishing techniques. Improvements in fishing gear and techniques discussed in Chapter 7, the mandatory observer program, and the kill quota were responsible for the dramatic decline in the number of dolphins killed by boats in the U.S.
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Ethel goal [of zero mortality] shall be satisfied in the case of the incidental taking of marine mammals in the course of purse-seine fishing for yellowfin tuna by a continuation of the application of the best marine mammal safety techniques and equipment that are economically and technologically practicable." The tuna fishery is part of a highly capitalized and international foodprocessing industry.
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FACTORS AFFECTING DOLPHIN MORTALITY Many factors other than the total fishing effort on dolphins influence dolphin mortality. Some of the most important are the number of tuna caught, vessel captain, species or stock caught, area, flag of vessel, time of capture (day or night)
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However, the committee notes that better knowledge of recruitment rates and migration patterns of dolphins and better stock identification of individuals are needed for accurate descriptions of population trends. TECHNIQUES FOR REDUCING DOLPHIN MORTALITY After extensive analysis, the committee was unable to identify any currently available alternative to setting nets on dolphins that is as efficient as dolphin seining for catching large yellowfin tuna.
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The second set of options centers on alternatives that would create incentives for behavior that reduces dolphin mortality, as opposed to direct or indirect prohibition on dolphin mortality itself. These include incentives for tuna fishing with alternative gear, price incentives for fishing on non-dolphinassociated tuna, and the development of vessel-captain performance standards coordinated with a training and evaluation program.
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These modifications include inflatable sections or partitions in the net, lifting surfaces, modified purse cable, new netting materials, and modified net designs. The committee recommends a long-term engineering approach toward eliminating major causes of dolphin mortality in the purse-seine process—canopies, roll-ups, and collapses in the backdown channel.
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An experimental research program of innovative gear to investigate performance and techniques. This program would have access to a modern commercial purse seiner as a dedicated vessel that would not be constrained by the normal pressures of tuna productivity.
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3. Research on existing FADs and new technologies such as submerged FADs, which may have a greater potential than surface FADs for attracting and holding commercially harvestable schools of large yellowfin tuna.
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