05.Room for improvement
Tuna with a dolphin-safe logo is a better option than one without if you’re concerned about dolphin welfare, and FREPA accredited products meet free-range standards, but the programs behind these logos show a number of shortcomings when assessed against our criteria.
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Logo seen on tuna. See details.
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What it means The logo indicates methods of fishing that harm dolphins have not been used to catch the tuna. Outlawed methods include the use of drift gill nets and intentional chasing, netting or encirclement of dolphins during a fishing trip.
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Why it falls short The Earth Island Institute's International Dolphin Safe monitoring program only has on-board observers for fishing trips in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (the primary ocean region where tuna are known to swim with dolphins), and only then on fishing vessels that are 400 gross tonnes and above. There’s no single industry-wide logo for manufacturers signed to its Dolphin Safe standard, and it’s difficult for Australian consumers to call the program for information or to give feedback.
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Program standards Read the standards.
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Program/organisation structure The Dolphin Safe International Monitoring Program is part of the International Marine Mammal Project (IMMP), sponsored by the Earth Island Institute (EII). EII is a not-for-profit, non-governmental conservation organisation based in the US – see its website for governance details.
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Program funding EII receives the bulk of its funding from donations by individuals and philanthropic foundations. EII does not require funding or donations from a company as a requirement to receive "Dolphin Safe" approval. It encourages tuna companies to provide reimbursement funding to help maintain International Monitoring Program expenses, but its core programs receive no funding from the tuna industry in order to maintain the independence of Earth Island Institute's International Monitoring Program and other campaigns to protect marine mammals.
Consumer contact details
Phone: No dedicated phone number for Australian consumers.
Email: marinemammal@earthisland.org