Facts about Dolphin Tuna Fishing Bycatch
- 06
Dolphin populations in the Eastern Pacific declined by over 100,000 individuals between 1986 and 1988 due to tuna fishing bycatch before conservation measures took effect.
- 05
Acoustic pingers attached to tuna fishing nets in the Indian Ocean have reduced dolphin bycatch by approximately 40-70 percent since their introduction in the 2000s.
- 04
Observer programs mandated on tuna vessels in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean since 2012 have documented that longlining operations catch approximately 4,000 dolphins annually as bycatch.
- 03
During the 1980s, purse-seine nets targeting yellowfin tuna in the Eastern Pacific killed approximately 100,000 dolphins annually, prompting the dolphin-safe labeling movement.
- 02
In 2020, gillnets used in tuna fishing operations in the Mediterranean Sea killed an estimated 10,000 dolphins annually, making bycatch a primary threat to local populations.
- 01
The 1986 dolphin-tuna fishing boycott in the United States reduced dolphin bycatch in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by approximately 99 percent within five years.