What is the Flipper Seal of Approval?
The Flipper Seal of Approval is a logo that tuna firms can license
and display on their cans IF they have met the tough "dolphin
saving" standards established by the Flipper Seal of
Approval Program. The Flipper Seal of Approval is similar in concept
to the Good Housekeeping seal and the Underwriters Laboratories
(UL) designation.
Tuna firms given the right to display the Flipper name and/or
Flipper Seal of Approval contractually agree to only purchase
and sell tuna products that do not involve dolphin kills, and
they agree to make other assurances of "dolphin friendliness"
and "dolphin saving"in addition to those required by
U.S. federal law. Participating tuna firms also agree to allow
Flipper-designated monitors to examine their records and factories
throughout the world to assure their compliance with the Flipper
criteria. A complete list of licensing requirements
is available.
What is the purpose of the Flipper Seal of Approval?
To save dolphins from unnecessary slaughter. An estimated
7,000,000 dolphins - at least - have been killed in the last thirty
years by the international tuna industry by purse-seining in the
Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) alone, with millions more killed
by driftnets.
Each year, hundreds of thousands
of additional dolphins still are estimated to die in the driftnets,
gillnets, and purse seine nets of the tuna industry. These dolphin
deaths are totally unnecessary, as alternative fishing techniques
that do not cause dolphin deaths are both well-established and
economically viable.
Two destructive fishing techniques that the Flipper Program seeks
to abolish are driftnet fishing and the intentional setting of
purse seine nets around fleeing herds of dolphins. In driftnet
fishing, also known as "stripmining the seas," gillnets
tens of miles in length are laid out overnight, catching all large
marine organisms in their path, including dolphins, whales, sea
turtles, and birds, as well as "target species" such
as squid and tuna. According to information compiled by Australian
scientists, driftnets killed between 315,000 and 1,060,000 dolphins
and whales in 1990 in the Pacific alone. Although Earthtrust's
Driftnet program succeeded in achieving a UN ban on the methodology
in international waters, 'pirate' driftnetters still ply their
trade.
Purse seine nets are an efficient means of capturing schools of
tuna, but in some parts of the world - most notably the ETP -
large yellowfin tuna habitually swim below pods of dolphins. Tuna
fishermen know this association well and exploit it by intentionally
hunting down pods of dolphins and setting their purse seine nets
around them, hoping to capture the tuna below. Hundreds and sometimes
thousands of dolphins can die in a single "set" as the
purse seine net envelopes and suffocates them. Each boat may make
multiple sets in a day, and there are hundreds of boats.
What about all those other "dolphin safe"
claims on tuna cans?
In 1990, responding to public concerns, most tuna firms started
labeling their tuna as "dolphin safe" with a variety
of logos. Unfortunately, there was no standard and established
definition, legal or otherwise, for the term "dolphin safe."
Some responsible tuna firms were in fact operating in a dolphin
safe manner, while others used "dolphin safe" as a marketing
tool as they went on killing dolphins. As a result, the buying
public became increasingly skeptical about all claims of dolphin-safeness.
In September of 1991, a new U.S. law took effect that established
a definition of "dolphin safe" and required tuna canners
to meet certain minimum criteria before they could claim their
tuna as dolphin safe. This law, called the Dolphin Protection
Consumer Information Act (DPCIA), was a positive step in the right
direction. The Flipper Seal of Approval, however, went beyond
the DPCIA in that it had much stricter criteria for dolphin safety
in the real world, is international in scope because it applies
to both U.S. and foreign operations of a given tuna firm, and
it provides for additional monitoring of tuna firms' records and
factories, working in cooperation with the most conscientious
tuna firms.
In 1997, the US congress passed the IDCPA, which re-defined the term 'dolphin safe' in a way many conservationists thought was fraudulent. Since that time, that re-definition has been challenged in court. In September of 2002, the Secretary of Commerce issued his 'final finding' that setting purse-seine nets around dolphins could not be proven to be the reason these dolphin populations have failed to recover. Thus, the 1997 congressional-committee redefinition of the term 'dolphin safe' was well on its way to becoming law in the USA, although this decision too is being challenged in court by pro-dolphin conservation organizations.
Among the reasons the re-definition of 'dolphin safe' is unpopular among some pro-dolphin people and organizations is that it now includes an annual 'allowable' dolphin-kill quota. The new definition of 'dolphin safe' does not mean no dolphin kills! Moreover, it is now apparently illegal for us to say more than that on this web page, because the law ALSO declared it illegal for private programs and labels to mount campaigns to "mislead" the public about perceived problems with the IDCPA. (We feel this rulemaking violates the First Amendment, but our function is to help consumers save dolphins, not interpret the Constitution).
Among other things, the laws instituting the IDCPA program
require that any logo or accreditation program have a 'comparable'
monitoring program to the IDCPA. Inasmuch as it would be impossible
(and aesthetically unpleasant) to duplicate that program, and
impossible to legally prove 'comparability', The Flipper Program
has simply included a requirement that all its licensed firms
selling tuna in the USA must meet IDCPA 'dolphin safe' standards
and subject themselves to the IDCPA monitoring program. This is
NOT an endorsement of the IDCPA program by EarthTrust or Flipper,
it's just something we must include to avoid violating the new
law. Our comments about the perceived efficacy of the IDCPA program
are a matter of public record, but as of the recent "final
finding" we will not make direct comparisons between the
protections afforded by Flipper and by the IDCPA, although consumers
who are not entirely brain-dead will presumably form their own
opinions.
In short, the Flipper Seal of Approval is the best indicator of
"No dolphin kills" tuna available today. The criteria
are defined and enforced by concerned and knowledgeable conservationists,
not solely by government lawmakers, toothless or corrupt treaty
organizations, or tuna firm marketing departments. The Flipper
Seal is international in scope. And the Flipper Seal requires
participating tuna firms to open their records and factories to
independent conservationist monitors. Additional information on
clearing the confusion about different
"dolphin-safe" definitions is also available.
There is a fundamental difference between "dolphin
saving" tuna as denoted by Flipper and "dolphin safe"
tuna as defined by federal law. Firms displaying the Flipper name
or mark have NOT ONLY entered into strong and binding voluntary
agreements to kill NO dolphins, but through their participation
they help save dolphins around the world from destructive fisheries
and unrelated dangers. After 16 years in the international marketplace,
it remains the highest standard for those who wish to identify
"dolphin saving" tuna and fisheries products.
How does the Flipper Program work?
After passing an initial evaluation, a tuna firm enters into a
licensing agreement under which, in exchange for the right to
display the Flipper Seal of Approval or Flipper name on its products
and in its advertising, the firm contractually agrees to only
purchase and sell tuna products which do not involve dolphin kills,
based upon specific criteria. All driftnet-caught tuna is prohibited,
as is all tuna caught by purse-seine boats of any size in the
Eastern Tropical Pacific.
The basic accreditation program is FREE to tuna firms, though
they may incur some costs in streamlining to meet the high FSA
criteria. Firms found to be non-compliant are given a warning
and a chance to change their practices. If problems persist, Flipper
licensing is revoked. A complete list of
licensing requirements is also available.
Why was Flipper chosen as the logo?
The Flipper Seal of Approval has been from the outset an international
program, reflecting the international nature of tuna marketing.
The "Flipper" name and image were chosen after extensive
research revealed that "Flipper" is known throughout
Asia, North and South America, Europe, Scandinavia, and many other
nations as a "happy friendly dolphin" ... and is in
fact the only such universal dolphin image. Cans labeled with
Flipper are thus instantly recognizable throughout the world as
"dolphin saving" tuna.
Who developed the Flipper Seal of Approval Program?
The Flipper Seal of Approval is a program of Earthtrust, a nonprofit
wildlife conservation organization headquartered in Honolulu,
Hawaii. The Flipper Program was developed by Earthtrust as a market-based
approach to preserving one of the world's most intelligent mammals--the
dolphin. The Flipper Seal of Approval Program is planned to be
transferred from Earthtrust, after an initial period of establishment
and organization, to a separate nonprofit entity, The
Flipper Foundation, whose chartered purpose is to maintain
the activities defined by the Flipper Program.
The Flipper Seal of Approval has been endorsed by a variety of conservation organizations
from throughout the world.
EarthTrust
Windward Environmental Center
1118 Maunawili Road
Kailua, HI 96734 USA
(808) 261-5339
FAX: 206-202-3893
