John B. Breaux: “today, along with Senator Stevens and others, I am introducing legislation that will implement the Panama Declaration…”

“today, along with Senator Stevens and others, I am introducing legislation that will implement the Panama Declaration for the protection of dolphins in the tuna fishery of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The United States signed the Panama Declaration on October 4, 1995, along with the Governments of Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Spain, Vanuatu, and Venezuela. by agreeing to the Panama Declaration, these countries have demonstrated their commitment to the conservation of ecosystems and the sustainable use of living resources related to the tuna fishery in the eastern tropical Pacific. By implementing the Panama Declaration, we will strengthen the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission [IATTC], which has proven to be an extremely effective international resource management organization. Implementing the Panama Declaration will ensure the reduction of dolphin mortalities associated with tuna fishing in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. In addition, we will enable American tuna fishermen to re-enter that tuna fishery on the same footing as foreign fishermen.”