Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna Commends Mexico For Standing Up For Eco-Safe Labeling Practices

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna today praised the Government of Mexico's decision to continue its decades-long effort to promote a more sustainable approach to tuna fishing and adequately ensure consumers that no dolphins were harmed in the capture of tuna bearing the "dolphin-safe" label. Yesterday's filing of its first written submission in the Article 21.5 compliance phase of the long-running case before the World Trade Organization represents the latest step in Mexico's dispute with the United States over the legality of the use of the "dolphin-safe" label in the U.S. market for tuna products.

Current U.S. policy on eco-labeling for tuna effectively outsources regulatory authority to Earth Island Institute (EII), a financially motivated special interest group hiding behind a mask of marine conservation. The United States had an opportunity last year to amend current law to bring the dolphin-safe labeling rules in line with consumer expectations. Their failure to do so not only perpetuated the consumer deception as to the true dolphin-safe status of tuna bearing the "dolphin-safe" label, but also allowed for continued harm to dolphins and marine life in fisheries outside of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP).

The Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna believes that U.S. law must allow for the more stringent and eco-safe AIDCP standard of the ETP in order to ensure that no harm is done to dolphins and to give consumers a choice along with the information necessary to make educated purchasing decisions.

The Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna is optimistic that the WTO will conclude that the United States has continued to violate its international obligations to Mexico. In the meantime, we will continue to work tirelessly to protect dolphins, tuna stocks and other marine species from harmful fishing methods and ensure that U.S. consumers and policy makers are educated about the deceptive nature of the current "dolphin-safe" label for tuna products.

About the Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna
The Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna is an international effort committed to a more sustainable approach to tuna fishing. We advocate for new labeling rules in the United States and around the world to promote an eco-friendly approach to tuna fishing and ensure that consumers are no longer misled about false claims by current "dolphin-safe" labels. For more information, visit www.ecosafetuna.org. Follow the campaign on Twitter at @ecosafetuna.

SOURCE Campaign for Eco-Safe Tuna

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