Political Quotes

“the entire United States tuna industry, with the exception of StarKist, opposes granting duty-free status to capped tuna products from Andean countries as contemplated in the Andean Trade Preference Agreement. Shame on Charlie the Tuna. Shame on StarKist for threatening an American industry, American consumers, and even American workers. Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is there is enough tuna production capacity in Ecuador to supply the entire U.S. market with canned tuna. Put another way, there is enough production capacity in Ecuador to wipe out the U.S. brands of tuna that our Nation has come to love and trust. No more Chicken of the Sea. No more Bumble Bee. If canned tuna is not exempted from the Andean trade agreement, the only thing America consumers will know is private-label tuna packed in Ecuador and other Andean countries. How safe is it? Consider this: Ecuador and Colombia incurred more than 706 fishing violations in the years 1998 and 1999 and still counting. Of those violations, only three actions were taken. In other words, Ecuador goes unchecked. Ecuador keeps fishing beyond the closure of the fisheries, past the quota, and breaks the rules; but America lives by the rules, Mr. Speaker. Our U.S. purse seining fleet, which conducts tuna fishing operations, also plays by the rules, our rules. Chicken of the Sea lives by the rules. Bumble Bee lives by the rules, but StarKist wants us to ignore the rules.”