150 



by a ten-year moratorium on killing whales, the 

 U S tuna industry continue* to kill hundreds of 

 thousands of these smalt whales (dolphins) 

 annually 



TUNA BAN 



There is little hope for saving the dolphins 

 either in the Courts or in Congress As long as 

 the tuna industry claims they have to kill 

 dolphins to catch tuna fish, it is unlikely the 

 Government will make them stop However, 

 the consumer can effectively influence the tuna 

 industry by refusing to buy any tuna products 

 until they solve this problem The tuna 

 industry will soon find it is cheaper to devise 

 new fishing techniques than it is to not sell any 

 tuna Patricia Forkan, HSUS program 

 coordinator, stated in her testimony before the 

 House Subcommittee that HSUS constituents 

 were taking steps on their own to save dolphins 

 by boycotting all tuna products "It is the only 

 path left open to us " 



Although it is only the yellowfin tuna 



(labeled as "light" meat) which is caught by 

 killing dolphins, HSUS believes if the ban is to 

 be truly effective, the economic sanction must 

 be felt across the board. What good does it do to 

 buy tuna not caught on dolphins such as white 

 Albacore, or dark Skip Jack from the same 

 company? They are still selling tuna. Also, it is 

 not always easy to tell which is which. 

 Remember not to buy any tuna pet food either 



TUNA INDUSTRY'S TASKS 



• Develop new fishing gear and techniques that 

 will truly reduce mortality and injury to near 

 zero. This is crucial not only for U.S. fleets but 

 also foreign fleets which have begun to use 

 purse seine nets. 



• Some tuna boat captains have better records 

 than others. Regulations and a training course 

 for them are needed to insure they comply with 

 new methods. Captains who continue to kill 

 dolphins should be fined 



• Allow Government observers aboard all large 



vessels to insure they are following regulations, 

 to count the number of dolphins killed, and to 

 help determine the total population of 

 dolphin*. 



• Provide * full nme research vessel to the 

 Federal Government for continued testing. 



• Be more concerned about conservation of the 

 stocks of yellowfin tuna being rapidly depleted 

 by the increasing numbers of big purse seine 

 boats 



• Realize the major reason they reduced 

 mortality in 1976 by more than 60% was mother 

 nature rather than improved fishing practices 

 and "dolphin rescue" efforts With tuna readily 

 available this year without setting on dolphins 

 at all. the tuna industry only set on them half as 

 often as in 1975 Therefore, dolphin mortality is 

 down. If fishing conditions had been normal 

 this year it is estimated the total kill would have 

 been reduced by only 19% from 1975 levels 

 meaning the U.S. tuna fleet would have killed 

 109,000 dolphins in 1976. 



WHAT CAN YOU DO? 



1. Join with HSUS in our fight to keep dolphins 



out of tuna nets. 



2 Help educate your neighbors by handing 



out this leaflet, writing letters to the editor, 



calling radio shows, talking at your next 



humane society meeting or other local 



organizations, getting school clubs to help 



Some student groups have convinced their 



board of education not to serve tuna in school 



cafeterias. 



3. Let your Congressmen know how you feel 



4 Write to the President and ask him to 



invoke that part of the Marine Mammal Act 



which allows the United States to embargo any 



fish products coming from foreign countnes not 



adhering to our laws protecting dolphins 



5. Write to the Presidents of these major 



canning companies and tell them why you are 



no longer buying any tuna products 



Del Monte Corp., Box 3573, San Francisco, 

 CA 94119 



Castle ii Cooke (Bumble Bee, Cloverleaf), 

 Astoria, OR 97103 



H J. Heinz Co. (Star-Kist), Box 57, 

 Pittsburgh, PA 15230 



Ralston-Punna (Chicken of the Sea), 

 Checkerboard Square, St. Louis, MO 63188 



Because a large number of members have expressed interest in the dolphin situation, this article was especially 

 designed to educate and inform interested groups and individuals. Share this article with your fnends and 

 neighbors by reproducing and distributing copies of it. Courtesy of The Humane Society of the United States, 

 2100 1 Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037. 



Patnaa Forkan, Program Coordinator 



