Wayne Gilchrest: “The whole reason for this particular legislation is threefold: to reduce the number of dolphins killed, to reduce the…”

“The whole reason for this particular legislation is threefold: to reduce the number of dolphins killed, to reduce the number of marine species that are killed in the process of catching tuna, and to set up an agreement that we are sponsoring to ensure the sustainability of the marine ecosystem. We can then open the door to a number of other environmental agreements, including global warming. Last year there were 3,300 dolphins killed in the eastern tropical Pacific. That is down 99 percent from what it was. That is using this particular technique. Why do we have in our bill a maximum, maximum, of 5,000 dolphins killed? That is because there will be more fishers in the fishery, so we need to have some reasonable number. Five thousand dolphins killed is biologically insignificant as assessed by some of the best scientists in the world. One of them is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a woman named Elizabeth Edwards, who says that is biologically insignificant. We understand that. We do not accept the 5,000 number. We will continue to work toward zero.”