International Dolphin Conservation Act of 1992: Unreasonable Extension of U.S.Jurisdiction in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) Fishery

摘要

Since the early 1960s, one of the most controversial and emotional wildlifeissues addressed by Congress has been the dispute over incidental dolphin mortality in the ETP tuna fishery. For reasons that are not entirely clear, dolphins and schools of yellowfin tuna frequently associate in the ETP. Because dolphins are easy to spot as they swim along the ocean's surface, tuna fishermen have traditionally relied on the tuna-dolphin bond to locate large schools of yellowfin tuna. Prior to 1959, this technique of locating tuna did not pose a serious threat to dolphins because the primary commercial method used to harvest yellowfin tuna was the line-and-pole. The threat to dolphins increased dramatically in 1959, however, with the introduction of purse seine nets to the ETP tuna fishery.