There are various dolphin safe labels used for canned tuna

Tuna

Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...

 to imply that the fish has been caught without harming or killing dolphin

Dolphin

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...

s. However, because there are various labels used, there are also various restrictions imposed on the capture of tuna in order for it to deserve the related dolphin safe label, some labels imposing stricter requirements than others.

According the US Consumers Union

Consumers Union

Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."...

, there is no guarantee that dolphins have not been harmed, despite the various labels. This is because there is no universal and independent verification of the dolphin-friendly claims, by observers, for example, who board fishing boats or make surprise visits to canneries to inspect captains' logs. However, some labels do require such verification.

In a report released by Greenpeace

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...

 in 2008, it is noted that the dolphin safe labels may make consumers believe that canned tuna with a dolphin safe label is also environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....

 in general, while these labels only cover the by-catch of dolphins and not that of other species, the sustainability of the hunt itself nor the environmental impact of it. Species such as sharks and albatross still suffer greatly from tuna fishing.

On September 15, 2011, the World Trade Organization

World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

 banned the practice of using dolphin safe labels. The results of this ruling are not yet known, but a country that continues a policy banned by the WTO may face sanctions.

Background

Dolphins are a common bycatch in tuna fisheries, especially in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

, as dolphins in this area can often be found swimming together with schools of tuna, specifically yellowfin tuna

Yellowfin tuna

The yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from its Hawaiian name ahi although the name ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna. The species name, albacares can lead to...

. Not only do the dolphins end up as accidental bycatch, the dolphins themselves may also be used as a way to find the tuna as they are easier to spot because the dolphins usually swim closer to the surface. The dolphins are sometimes knowingly being netted together with the fish.

Dolphins do not associate with Skipjack tuna

Skipjack tuna

The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish...

 and this species is most likely to be truly "dolphin safe". The species of tuna is not always mentioned on the can.

List of dolphin safe labels

Dolphins safe labels
	The United States Department of Commerce United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...  dolphins safe label was established in 1990. Standards for this are that tuna caught using purse seine fishing methods within Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...  did not involve the deliberate netting or circling of any dolphins. This must have been verified by an observer from the National Marine Fisheries Service National Marine Fisheries Service The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...  on the fishing ship that caught the fish. Tuna caught using a different method or in most places outside of this area may be given this label without any outside observation having been made.
	The Flipper Seal of Approval dolphin safe label is an initiative by the organisation EarthTrust Earthtrust Earthtrust is a non-governmental organization dedicated to wildlife protection. Located in Hawai'i, Earthtrust has been involved in many high-profile activities, notably around using genetic analysis to demonstrate the prevalence of pirate whaling as well as public information campaigns around... . Most notable requirements are that it does not allow the label on tuna fish caught using driftnets or gillnet Gillnet Gillnetting is a common fishing method used by commercial and artisanal fishermen of all the oceans and in some freshwater and estuary areas. The gillnet also is used by fisheries scientists to monitor fish populations. Because gillnets can be so effective their use is closely monitored and... s, or by the intentional setting of purse seine nets on dolphins or any tuna caught in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean except for hook and line fisheries. Independent observers from EarthTrust must be allowed to monitor the fishing process.
	This dolphin safe tuna label is an initiative from the Earth Island Institute Earth Island Institute The Earth Island Institute was founded in 1982 by environmentalist David Brower. It organizes and encourages activism around environmental issues and provides public education. Funding comes from individual members and supporting organizations... . Requirements to be met are that dolphins may not intentionally be chased, circled or netted during any fishing trip, drift- or gillnets cannot be used and no accidental dolphin death or serious injury may result from the fishing operation. Fish from a dolphin unfriendly source may not be mixed in at any stage. Each trip in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean by vessels 400 gross tons and above must have an independent observer on board attesting to the compliance with the points mentioned.
	This label is used on Greenseas Greenseas Greenseas is a brand of shelf-stable fish products owned by the H. J. Heinz Company. They produce a range of popular goods, including tuna, salmon and sardines....  tuna cans in Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... . According to Greenseas the tuna will not have been caught in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, nor will drift- or gillnets have been used during the capture. The tuna is caught in either Australian waters or in the Western Pacific Ocean. Greenseas also meets the standards set by the Earth Island Institute.
	This label is used on John West Australia tuna cans. According to John West Australia, the tuna is exclusively caught using line fishing. It also meets the standards set by the Earth Island Institute mentioned above.
	A Dutch label used by Princes foods on tuna cans. The text translates to "Caught dolphin friendly". More often, the label is in English however and Princes products are also sold in many other European countries, especially the United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... . According to the company, the label assures that no dolphins were chased or netted while fishing for tuna and that the boats try to only fish for tuna with no dolphins present, and dolphins that do accidentally end up in nets are released. It also meets the standards set by the Earth Island Institute mentioned above.
	Sealord, a major fishing company in New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... , has a dolphin friendly label. The company states that they purchase tuna from companies that are certified and monitored by the Earth Island Institute Earth Island Institute The Earth Island Institute was founded in 1982 by environmentalist David Brower. It organizes and encourages activism around environmental issues and provides public education. Funding comes from individual members and supporting organizations... .