Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP)
Overview | What's New | Background | More Information
OverviewThe Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP) is a legally binding instrument for dolphin conservation and ecosystem management in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP). The objectives of the Agreement are to reduce incidental dolphin mortalities in the tuna purse-seine fishery through the setting of annual limits, seek alternative means of capturing large yellowfin tunas not in association with dolphins, and ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks and marine resources in the ETP. The AIDCP entered into force on February 15, 1999. To date, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, United States, Vanuatu, and Venezuela have ratified the AIDCP. Bolivia, Colombia, and the European Union are applying the Agreement provisionally.
What's New?
On April 10, 2006, the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NMFS, renewed the affirmative finding for the Government of Ecuador under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA requires a nation harvesting yellowfin tuna in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) with purse seine vessels greater than 400 short tons (362.8 metric tons) carrying capacity to have an affirmative finding in order to export yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested by purse seine vessels in the ETP to the United States. Because purse seine vessels in excess of 400 short tons carrying capacity harvest yellowfin tuna in the ETP under Mexico's jurisdiction, the Government of Ecuador is required to obtain an affirmative finding to export yellowfin tuna harvested by these vessels to the United States. The renewal was based upon documentary evidence submitted by the harvesting nation and obtained from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and the Department of State. The affirmative findings will remain in effect until March 31, 2007. Annually NMFS will conduct reviews of the finding to ensure that Mexico continues to meet the requirements under the MMPA.
Notice of affirmative finding - Ecuador [pdf] [59 KB]
On April 3, 2006, the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
NMFS, renewed affirmative findings for the Government of
Mexico and the Government of Spain under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA requires a nation harvesting
yellowfin tuna in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP)
with purse seine vessels greater than 400 short tons (362.8
metric tons) carrying capacity to have an affirmative finding
in order to export yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products
harvested by purse seine vessels in the ETP to the United
States. Because purse seine vessels in excess of 400 short
tons carrying capacity harvest yellowfin tuna in the ETP
under Mexico’s and Spain’s jurisdictions, these
nations are required to obtain an affirmative finding to
export yellowfin tuna harvested by these vessels to the United
States. The renewals were based upon documentary evidence
submitted by the harvesting nation and obtained from the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and the Department
of State. The affirmative findings will remain in effect
until March 31, 2007. Annually NMFS will conduct reviews
of the finding to ensure that Mexico continues to meet the
requirements under the MMPA.
Notice of affirmative finding - Mexico [pdf] [57 KB]
Notice of affirmative finding renewal - Spain [pdf] [57 KB]
On August 24, 2005, the United States Department of Justice
submitted a brief to the Ninth Circuit, appealing the decision
of the United States District Court for the Northern District
of California on December 31, 2002. The District Court’s
decision set aside the final finding made by the Assistant
Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA Fisheries, that the intentional
deployment on or encirclement of dolphins with purse seine
nets is not having a significant adverse impact on depleted
dolphin stocks in the ETP. Under the District Court's order,
the "dolphin-safe" labeling standard for yellowfin
tuna harvested by large purse seine vessels in the ETP shall
be governed by paragraph (h)(2) of the Dolphin Protection
Consumer Information Act, 16
U.S.C. 1385(h)(2). 
Accordingly,
such tuna is deemed dolphin-safe if "no tuna were caught
in the trip in which such tuna were harvested using a purse
seine net intentionally deployed on or to encircle dolphins,
and no dolphins were killed or seriously injured during the
sets in which the tuna were caught."
On October 18-20, 2005, the Parties to the Inter-American
Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the Agreement on the
International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP) met in
La Jolla, California. AIDCP meetings conducted included the
Permanent Working Group on Tuna Tracking, the Working Group
to Promote and Publicize the AIDCP Dolphin Safe-Certification
System, the International Review Panel, and the Meeting of
the Parties. Information and documents relating to the October
2005 meetings can be found here. The next round of AIDCP
meetings will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting
of the IATTC during June 2006, in Pusan, Korea
Background
In the late 1950s, fishermen discovered that yellowfin tuna in the eastern
tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) aggregated beneath schools of dolphin stocks.
Since that discovery, the predominant fishing method in the ETP has been
to encircle schools of dolphins with a fishing net to capture tuna concentrated
below. Hundreds of thousands of dolphins died in the early years of this
fishery.
Since its enactment in 1972, the provisions of the MMPA have
resulted in greatly reduced annual dolphin bycatch by U.S. vessels participating
in the tuna purse seine fishery in the ETP. By the early 1980s, only a few
U.S. vessels remained in the fishery as a result of MMPA prohibitions on encircling
dolphins. However, foreign participation in the ETP fishery continued to increase,
and for many years dolphin mortality was managed under the voluntary International
Dolphin Conservation Program (IDCP) supported by the Inter-American Tropical
Tuna Commission (IATTC )
.
In the fall of 1992, the nations participating in the ETP tuna fishery convened
at the annual meeting of the IATTC and signed the La
Jolla Agreement ,
which placed voluntary limits on the maximum number of dolphins that could
be incidentally killed annually in the fishery, lowering the maximum each year
over seven years, with a goal of eliminating dolphin mortality in the fishery.
In 1995, the U.S. and the Governments of Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
France, Honduras, Mexico, Panama and Spain, whose vessels fish for tuna in
the ETP, came together and negotiated the Panama Declaration. The Panama
Declaration established
conservative species/stock specific annual dolphin mortality limits and represented
an important step toward reducing bycatch in commercial fisheries with sound
ecosystem management. The signatory nations envisioned that, as a result of
their actions in reducing dolphin mortality, the U.S. would amend its laws
so their participation in the IDCP would satisfy comparability requirements
of the MMPA and result in the lifting of embargoes on yellowfin tuna and yellowfin
tuna products.
Because the multi-nation yellowfin tuna fleet fishes in international waters, NOAA Fisheries has always believed that a binding international agreement would be the key to successfully protecting dolphins and the entire marine ecosystem in the ETP. In February 1998, the countries participating in the IDCP successfully negotiated the AIDCP. Since it became effective, the AIDCP has been amended to reflect decisions made by member nations as they seek to better implement this instrument for dolphin conservation. Nations that have ratified the Agreement include; Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, United States, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. Additionally, Bolivia, Colombia, and the European Union are applying the Agreement provisionally.
More about Tuna/Dolphin InteractionsInternational Dolphin Conservation Program Act
Final Finding – December 31, 2002 National Marine Fisheries Service
Final Report of the Scientific Research Program under the International Dolphin Conservation Program Act, September 2002 [pdf] [1 MB]
More information about interactions between the tuna purse seine fishery and dolphins in the ETP
NOAA Fisheries Southwest Regional Office Tuna and Marine Mammals
NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center Dolphin Safe Program
U.S. Tuna Tracking and Verification Plan
Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program as amended October 2004
IATTC and AIDCP Resolutions
IATTC and AIDCP Meetings
