Dolphin-Safe Tuna Welfare Implications

The 'dolphin-safe' tuna label protects dolphins from purse-seine netting but may shift fishing effort to methods causing welfare harm to other species including juvenile tuna and sharks.

Key Facts

Dolphin-safe certification prohibits the deliberate encirclement of dolphin schools to catch tuna
Introduced after 1990s campaigns revealing large-scale dolphin mortality in eastern Pacific tuna fisheries
Dolphin bycatch in certified fisheries has declined dramatically since the standard's introduction
However, dolphin-safe fishing methods (Fish Aggregating Devices) catch large quantities of juvenile tuna, sharks, and sea turtles
FAD fishing bycatch can include 20+ non-target species per set, with high mortality of non-commercial species
Some marine biologists argue eastern Pacific dolphin-associated purse seine fishing may be more selective
The welfare picture across all affected species is more complex than the simple dolphin-safe label implies

Welfare Considerations

The dolphin-safe label is a welfare success story for dolphins but may represent an unintended welfare trade-off for other species. Fish Aggregating Devices concentrate diverse marine species, making their capture and bycatch deaths more likely. Juvenile tuna, sharks, manta rays, sea turtles, and non-commercial fish are killed in large numbers around FADs. The welfare of these species matters - sharks experience stress and oxygen deprivation during capture, sea turtles drown in nets, and juvenile fish die in large quantities. A genuinely welfare-positive tuna fishing standard would evaluate bycatch welfare across all affected species, not protect one charismatic taxon while ignoring others.

What You Can Do

Look beyond dolphin-safe to seek pole-and-line or troll-caught tuna with lower bycatch
Support organisations developing comprehensive low-bycatch tuna certification standards
Reduce tuna consumption overall to decrease pressure on all marine species in this fishery
Advocate for FAD management regulations reducing bycatch mortality in certified fisheries
Choose small tinned sardines or mackerel as lower-impact alternatives to tuna