Legislation, recently adopted by the House to again allow dolphin deadly tuna to be imported into the US, is now before the U.S. Senate. The Sierra Club strongly opposes this legislation to appease foreign fishermen and undermine US policy that has reduced dolphin deaths by 95 percent. The Sierra Club supports a compromise amendment to the Stevens/Breaux bill (S. 1420) to be offered by Senator's Robert Smith (R-NH) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) which would protect the "dolphin safe" label.
The Smith/Boxer compromise amendment would protect the integrity of the "dolphin safe" label by not allowing tuna caught through the encirclement of dolphins to carry the label.
Because the Senate Commerce Committee has two other bills of higher priority awaiting Senate approval -- Magnuson Act and Coast Guard reauthorization bills -- and because Barbara Boxer is expected to filibuster the Tuna/Dolphin bill, Senate floor action is very uncertain. The Sierra Club is hopeful that the supporters of H.R. 1420 will be willing to accept the Smith/Boxer compromise amendment in exchange for getting the legislation to the floor. Please urge your senators to support the Smith/Boxer amendment to S.1420.
A factsheet on the Smith/Boxer amendment and a letter from the former leader of the Dolphin Stress Physiology Task, Dolphin Safe Program, National Marine Fisheries Service is available on the Sierra Club's Web Homepage (
http://www.sierraclub.org) under "News Stand, International Trade," or they can be sent via e-mail by contacting
<larry.williams@sierraclub.org>