In the Pacific, dolphins and tuna often swim together. An easy way to catch tuna therefore is to locate the dolphins and net everything at once. A handful of countries, including Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, still allow their tuna fishing fleets to kill dolphins.
Understandably, consumers don’t want their cans of tuna to be responsible for dolphin deaths and labeling schemes have sprung up throughout the world. In the US, relatively dolphin safe tuna is undramatically labelled "dolphin safe" and most major supermarkets stock nothing else.
Now, the World Trade Organization has ruled that the labelling scheme is unfair to Mexico and, rather than suggesting Mexico change its fishing methods, has given the US 18 months to end it.
This ruling is environmentally unsound, encourages the deaths of some of the world's most intelligent mammals and completely infringes consumer choice. Tell the WTO to retract this unethical and unfair ruling immediately.
We the undersigned ask that you retract the ruling that the "dolphin safe" labeling scheme is an unfair trade practice. Allowing consumers to boycott fish that involves the deaths of dolphins does not discriminate unfairly against any particular country. If Mexico, or others, wants a greater share of the US tuna market, the country can perfectly well change its fishing regulations. It does not need the removal of a labeling scheme or to have a deceptive "exception" made.
This ruling in itself is unethical and we ask that you retract it as a matter of urgency.
Thank you for your attention.
