Mexico and US Go at it Again Over Dolphin-Labeling and Tuna

From the Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest....

The long-running dispute between the US and Mexico over Washington’s ‘dolphin safe’ labelling practice for tuna products is likely to see a WTO appeal, after the two parties together asked for an extension of the appeals deadline. Meanwhile, animal welfare and consumer advocacy groups in Washington are urging the US to look into options outside the global trade body for resolving the trade row.

WTO appeals deadline extended to January

At its last meeting on 11 November, the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) decided to extend the deadline for submitting an appeal on the latest Tuna-Dolphin (DS381) ruling issued in September (see Bridges Weekly, 21 September 2011).

.....Washington had partially lost its claim in this high-stakes dispute over the US “dolphin safe” label for tuna products when a panel ruled the US practice unnecessarily trade restrictive (for further analysis on the tuna-dolphin case, see Bridges Trade BioRes Review, November 2011).

Last Great Tuna Fishery in Danger

I worked as an accountant for a half-billion dollar seafood company in the United States. One of the company's top finfish sales was tuna "product." So, believe me, I know that the amount of waste in the seafood industry is outstanding. Overharvesting is just the tip of the iceberg.

Delegates from over 40 countries began meeting Monday {today} at a Pacific fisheries conference in Guam amid warning signs the world's last great tuna fishery is heading for crisis.

Some argue the western and central Pacific fishery -- which supplies over half the world's tuna -- is in trouble already.

Attempts to improve conservation measures will be put to the five-day meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, which includes delegates from Pacific nations and major fishing countries.

....The commission believes the two most endangered species -- yellowfin and bigeye -- need a reprieve if the fishery is to remain sustainable.

The bigeye catch needs to be reduced by 25 percent and yellowfin by 10 percent, commission executive director Andrew Wright told AFP.

Skipjack is usually caught in nets by sophisticated purse-seine fishing vessels from countries including Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea and other so called distant water fishing nations.

The purse-seiners accounted for 72 percent of the total catch in the region last year.

But the purse-seiners -- some modern hi-tech vessels are capable of catching up to 10,000 tonnes annually -- also catch large numbers of juvenile yellowfin and bigeye as bycatch.

Long-line boats capable of reeling out massive lines carrying thousands of baited hooks catch most of the mature bigeye and yellowfin, which are sold at premium prices on the fresh tuna market.

Greenpeace argues the commission has under-estimated the impact of illegal and unreported fishing.

Photo by antisocial_001.