12 - Friday, April 13, 1990 - North Shore News

Consumers can help stop dojphin slaughter

OF ALL the stories I heard
in elementary schoo!, one
that stuck with me the
longest was about a dolphin
named Pelorus Jack who for
years guided boats safely to
port through the treacherous
reefs of French Pass, a
channel through the D’Ur-
ville Islands of New

Zealand.

Many ships had been wrecked
trying to navigate those waters, but
none were lost once this dolphin
stepped in to help out — until the
day it was shot by a fool on one of
the boats being guided through the
Pass.

The anger and sadness I felt
after hearing that story never
diminished, especially after hearing
countless other tales about
dolphins leading lost fishermen
back to port, keeping people afloat
in the water and guarding them
from sharks after they had been
shipwrecked, and playing with
Givers for hours on end.

So it’s not easy for me to come
to grips with the horror of the
dolphin slaughter that routinely
occurs as a byproduct of the
tuna-fishing industry.

These words from a recent Earth
Isiand/Western Canada
Wilderness Committee press
release sum up the situation most
succinctly:

**Since 1960, over six million
dolphins have died needlessly in
the purse-seine fishery for
yellowfin tuna that takes place in
the eastern tropical Pacific, from
southern California down to Chile.

“*Hiere, where dolphins and tuna
school together, fishermen use the
air-breathing mammals as conve-
nient surface markers to locate the
fish below. They then chase the
dolphins for hours with speed-

CANNED TUNA BOYCOTT WILL FORCE COMPANIES
TO USE ALTERNATIVE FISHING METHODS

Eco
Info

Peggy Trendell-Whittaker
Se

boats, helicopters and explosives,
finally driving the exhausted and
disoriented animals into their nets.
The result is the largest legally
sanctiored mammal kill in the
world.

**Over 100,000 dolphins every
year — 300 dolphins a day — die
from entanglement, suffocation
and injury, the majority of them
pregnant or nursing females. Many
are hauled through the power
block and literally crushed alive
...In only 30 years, popuiations of
eastern spinner dolphins have been
reduced to a mere 20 per cent of
their origina! numbers.”’

I urge you to attend the Thurs-
day, April 26 Canadian premiere
of Where Have all the Dolphins
Gone?, a documentary that in-
cludes footage shot secretly by

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Sam LaBudde, a biologist who
posed as a cook on a tuna-fishing
vessel to research the extent of the
carnage. His findings will make
you very, very sad.

LaBudde will be in attendance to
talk about the current situation
and what can be done about it.
Most startling of all, perhaps, is
that there is absolutely no need to
be using this fishing practice —
over 90 per cent of the world’s
tuna is caught using methods
non-harmful to dolphins, methods
that are equaliy effective in the
eastern tropical Pacific.

The evening will begin at 7 p.m.
at the Robson Square Media Cen-
tre. Tickets ($5, students and
seniors $3) are available on the
North Shore at Capers, 25th and
Marine in West Van, or at the
door.

If you are unable to aiiend the
screening, consider writing the
Earth Island Institute Dolphin
Project for information on how
you can he!p stop the slaughter
(300 Broadway, Suite 28, San
Francisco, CA, 94133-3312), and
take the following tips to heart:

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

© Boycott all canned tuna. The
yellowfin tuna that is caught by
encircling dolphins is called ‘‘light
meat’’ or “chunk light’’ tuna.
However, buying albacore or
‘white’ tuna isn’t a solution,
because albacore is often caught
using driftnet fishing technologies
that are also an incredible horror
story. Also, any company that
buys albacore tuna also buys
yellowfin, and isn’t worthy of
support.

Roberta Olenick of WCWC has
met with B.C. Packers, and says

that 80 per cent of their tuna is
probably OX. The remaining 20
per cent is still being investigated,
thowever, so she is not yet endors-
ing their tinned tuna (Cloverleaf
and Paramount brands).
© The three major companies that
are most responsible for
perpetuating the dolphin slaughter
are H.J. Heinz (the owner of
Starkist Tuna and the world’s
largest producer of canned tuna),
Chicken of the Sea and Bumblebee
Tuna.

Sources of tuna processed by
Canadian companies are being in-

hailed by U.S. environmentalists as
National Dolphin Day. Now’s a
good time to talk to others about
the issue and encourage them to
join you in a boycott of tinned
tuna.

You don't have to confine
yourself to taking this up with
friends and neighbors — restau-
rants and stores across North
America are also starting to get on
the boycott bandwagon.

Capers in West Vancouver, for
example, has already decided to
stop stocking tuna caught at the
expense of dolphins.
© If you want more information on
the dolphin kill, write to the Earth
Island address listed above, enclos-
ing your address and $5 for The
Tragedy Continues, a 48-page

“Over 100,000 dolphins every year —
300 dolphins a day — die from
entanglement, suffocation and injury,
the majority of them pregnant or

nursing females.’’

vestigated, but so far researchers
say that all indications point to
H.J. Heinz as the majer supplier.

If you want your voice to be
heard, refuse to buy any Heinz
goods — these inciude Heinz ket-
chup, Weight Watchers products,
Nine Lives and other cat foods and
varius condiments. Check the
label before you buy!

Write to Anthony O'Reilly, H.J.
Heinz Company, P.O. Box 57,
Pittsburgh, PA 15230 and tell him
why you won’t buy. Tell him you
want H.J. Heinz to stop producing
tuna caught using inhumane,
dolphin-killing technologies.
® Tomorrow (Saturday), is being

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research guide that explains causes
and consequences of the problem.
COMING EVENTS

Recycled notepaper and
envelopes are being sold at
Boundary Community School's
Community Carnival on Friday,
April 20, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.,
and on an ongoing basis from the
school office at 720 E. 26th St.,
North Van. Call 985-7101 for more
information.

Send your environmental tips,
success stories and suggestions to
Ecoinfo, 1139 Lonsdale Ave.,
North Vancouver, V7M 2H4.

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