The eastern Pacific tuna-dolphin purse seine fishery has improved but continues to cause significant dolphin welfare harm despite the 'dolphin-safe' label's widespread use.
Dolphins encircled in tuna purse seines experience acute stress from high-speed chases, separation from social groups, and unfamiliar net enclosure. Even when successfully released, the physiological stress response from repeated encirclement in harvested dolphin schools causes elevated glucocorticoids measurable for days afterward. Calves lost during net deployment may not be reunited with mothers, affecting both parties' welfare. True dolphin welfare in tuna fisheries requires eliminating encirclement, not just managing it.