John W. Olver: “this amendment offers American consumers exactly what we know they want. It took American citizens more than two decades…”

“this amendment offers American consumers exactly what we know they want. It took American citizens more than two decades to get the Congress to end the slaughter of dolphins and adopt dolphin-safe labeling of tuna. The terrible pictures of herds of dead dolphins in a sea of red are practically gone from memory. It's been great environmental success. Without the Studds amendment the underlying bill moves us backward. No, it doesn't mean that we'll return to the days of mass dolphin slaughter, but it does mean that dolphins will be chased, harassed, and encircled. Perhaps there is no mammal more symbolic of American's love and concern for animals--than the dolphin. As this Congress desperately attempts to recast itself in the wake of its poor environmental record--no vote is easier and will please such a broad spectrum of the American public than the Studds amendment. Recently, this Congress has voted for consumer-friendly right-to-know provisions in several bills. Yet today, this bill aims to confuse the dolphin-safe label and deceive the American public. Americans want to know which tuna has been caught without risks to dolphins. The dolphin-safe label ought to mean what it says. Finally, I believe it's fair to say that no one in recent memory in this body has done so much to protect so many of one individual species than my colleague from Massachusetts. We should honor his 20 years of work and expertise by supporting the Studds amendment.”