Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. letter to G. J., March 28, 1995

Congress of tfjc ffitniteb States JEjouse of fitprestnfattoeg ©tahington, 2D C 20515-2002 Thank you for communicating to me your concerns regarding the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and its impact on the safety of dolphins. I share your belief that we need to do more to protect these beautiful and intelligent creatures from being unnecessarily slaughtered by tuna fisherman. However, I believe that only by continuing to put pressure on the international community through organizations such as the IATTC can the United States hope to achieve this goal. As you are probably aware, the United States proposed that the dolphin mortality limit for 1995 be set at 4,000— far below the 12,000 originally adopted in 1992. While the 9,300 limit ultimately established by the IATTC is hardly encouraging, it does represent a 10 percent decrease in the per-vessel mortality rate. In addition, the 9,300 limit established by the IATTC probably does not reflect the actual number of dolphins who may be accidentally killed in 1995. Indeed the estimated number of incidental dolphin kills in 1993 and 1994 was far below the limits set by the IATTC for each of those years. The United States is one of the voices of reason on the IATTC as far as this issue is concerned. If anything, we need stay in a position which would allow us to put pressure on those nations whose fishing practices consistently threaten the safety of dolphins. Thanks again for contacting me regarding this issue. Feel free to contact me again if I can be of further assistance. Sincerely, RoberlJ^hrlich, Jr: — Member of Congress