Dolphin Bycatch in Tuna Fisheries: Progress and Remaining Challenges

The dolphin-safe tuna movement reduced dolphin bycatch dramatically but ongoing welfare concerns remain in some fisheries, requiring continued consumer and regulatory vigilance.

Key Facts

The Eastern Tropical Pacific purse seine fishery killed over 500,000 dolphins annually before the 1990s
The dolphin-safe labeling campaign and international agreements reduced EPT dolphin mortality by over 99%
Some dolphin-safe practices involve Fish Aggregating Devices that increase bycatch of juvenile tuna and other species
Observer programs verifying dolphin-safe claims vary in effectiveness across different tuna fishing nations
Encirclement of dolphin schools continues in some fisheries outside strict dolphin-safe certification

Welfare Considerations

The tuna-dolphin welfare story is both a conservation success and an ongoing cautionary tale. The reduction in dolphin bycatch from hundreds of thousands to a few thousand annually represents genuine welfare progress. However, the complexity of sustainable seafood choices means that dolphin-safe labels do not guarantee absence of other welfare or environmental concerns. The continuing use of dolphin encirclement in some fisheries means dolphins still die for tuna in parts of the world where certification requirements are weaker.

What You Can Do

Choose tuna certified by organizations with robust third-party observer verification of dolphin-safe claims
Learn about the ongoing debate regarding dolphin encirclement versus FAD fishing trade-offs
Support stronger international agreements extending dolphin-safe requirements to all tuna fishing nations
Reduce tuna consumption or shift to more sustainably caught alternatives where possible