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Q7
Why haven't dolphin populations in the Eastern Pacific recovered in recent years despite international attempts to monitor the situation?
A number of reasons have been put forward in the scientific report discussed above. First, the International Agreement does not prohibit the intentional chasing and encircling of dolphins. It seeks to report on and minimize the number of dolphin deaths. And the report has shown that chasing and encircling dolphins results in dolphins deaths. Further, the report suggests that there is also underreporting of dolphin mortalities. The U.S. government has attributed the dramatic drop in annual dolphin mortalities to these international monitoring practices. But the simple fact is, the numbers have decreased mostly because U.S. companies stopped dropping nets in the ETP.
Q8
Can the U.S. government change its mind and alter the "Dolphin Safe" label again in the near future?
No, not unless there is new legislation from Congress. The 1997 Dolphin Conservation Act specifically outlined the process of when and if the label would be changed. The legislation basically stated that the label would be changed to include the deliberate chasing, harassing and encircling dolphins with nets, so long as there was not a significant adverse impact to dolphin populations as a result of this fishing method. The legislation required that this decision be based on several scientific studies conducted by the U.S. government's own scientists. The legislation required an interim finding in 1999, then a final finding in 2002. The Bush Administration's decision on December 31, 2002 is supposed to be the last word on the controversy, but The HSUS and other environmental and animal-protection groups will fight a legal battle to maintain the integrity of the label.
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