Dear President Bush,  

When we buy a product labeled “non-toxic,” we expect it to be non-toxic.  We trust this label and depend on it for safety.  We know that the results of giving a small child a set of paints falsely labeled “non-toxic” could be disastrous.

The ramifications of allowing the fishing industry to mislabel tuna caught by the purse seine method as “dolphin-safe” would be equally disastrous.  The purse seine strategy involves chasing dolphins with speedboats and helicopters and then surrounding the pod with a net to catch the schools of tuna that are often swimming below.  These strenuous chases are often irreparably harmful to dolphins; they can cause unhealthy stress, injury, and even the separation of mothers from dependant calves.  Over seven million dolphins have died as a result of this type of fishing.

Dolphins are intelligent and beautiful creatures.  Their problem solving abilities and communication skills place them at the level of primates, and their grace and agility put them among some of the most stunningly elegant creatures on our planet.  Dolphins also play a vital role in balancing the ocean ecosystem, and their disappearance could cause countless unforeseen ecological problems.  For these reasons alone, we should protect dolphins from annihilation in any way that we can, starting with upholding the integrity of the dolphin-safe label.  Yet there is an even more pressing reason to prevent the label from being compromised: it is your responsibility as America ’s leader to defend the rights of your people.  One of these rights is the right to honesty from both the government and businesses.

To allow companies to eviscerate the dolphin-safe label would be a conscious move to deceive environmentally concerned consumers, preventing them from making informed decisions regarding the protection of dolphin populations.  Diluting the label would be favoring foreign trade interests over the moral convictions of American consumers.

At least three dolphin species have been considerably depleted due to purse seine fishing.  These incredible creatures are being slowly exterminated by human greed.  Our country took a stand against this cruel process by instituting the dolphin-safe label.  For the first time, consumers were able to choose dolphin safety over convenience, and they did.  This shows that Americans, when given the option, choose an environmentally conscious path.  Please do not take away this choice.  Do not allow overseas fisheries to deceive Americans people.  Do not weaken the dolphin-safe label.

Sincerely,

Catherine K.
Atlanta , GA