Dolphin Bycatch and Tuna Fishing Welfare

The connection between tuna fishing and dolphin bycatch drove one of the largest consumer boycotts in history, leading to meaningful fishing practice changes but ongoing monitoring challenges.

Key Facts

Eastern Pacific yellowfin tuna associate with dolphins - a relationship exploited by tuna fleets
The 1970s US tuna fleet killed an estimated 400,000 dolphins annually through purse seine netting
Consumer boycotts in the late 1980s drove the US industry to adopt dolphin-safe fishing methods
Dolphin-safe labeling is now standard but enforcement of labeling criteria varies internationally
Some international fleets continue to set nets on dolphins outside US certification requirements

Welfare Considerations

Dolphins encircled by purse seine nets experience acute terror - the chaotic netting process in early decades caused drowning, propeller injuries, and crushing deaths on a massive scale. Even in modern dolphin-safe operations, monitoring challenges mean some dolphin interactions occur without documentation. The welfare legacy of historical tuna fishing includes intergenerational trauma in dolphin populations still recovering from the population-level impacts of the purse seine era. Consumer vigilance about tuna sourcing remains important for maintaining the progress made.

What You Can Do

Choose tuna products with credible dolphin-safe certification from verified sustainable sources
Support Earth Island Institute's International Dolphin Safe Monitoring Program
Advocate for strong international enforcement of dolphin-safe fishing requirements
Reduce canned tuna consumption or choose brands with fully traceable supply chains
Learn about which tuna species can be sourced without dolphin bycatch risk