From Mark J. Palmer, Earth Island Institute, San Francisco
Your article on tuna and dolphins does your readers a disservice in trying to simplify a very complicated situation (25 May, p 15). Depleted dolphin populations in the tuna fishery of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), despite low levels of reported mortality, are still not recovering and may in fact be declining in numbers. Physiological stress, separation of mothers from dependent calves and false reporting by bribed or intimidated onboard observers are all contributing to unsustainable levels of “cryptic kill” of dolphins.
Carl Safina of the National Audubon Society is quoted in your article as advocating going back to a pole-and-line fishery for all tuna in the ETP. Another, less drastic approach would be to eliminate dolphin set nets (to protect depleted species of dolphins); reduce fleet capacity and institute time and area closures to obtain sustainable levels of yellowfin, skipjack and big eye tuna; and to develop new ways (or perhaps the old pole-and-line ways) of catching the larger yellowfin tuna without harm to dolphins.
However, the ETP tuna fishing nations, principally Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, with the dubious support of the US, continue to refuse to take action to reduce dolphin set nets, reduce bycatch, or reduce ETP tuna fleet capacity. The political will to take any meaningful action to protect the tuna fishery is lacking.
It is time to stop killing dolphins and develop alternatives to protect the marine environment.
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