Ban On Set Netting Welcome News - WWF

11.04.01

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is pleased to hear of the government’s temporary ban on recreational set netting in Canterbury, to help protect the Hector’s dolphin.

WWF hopes that this ban will become permanent, and calls on the government to put similar measures for recreational set netting in place to protect the North Island Hector’s Dolphin, which is even rarer than its South Island counterpart.

There are only around 100 North Island Hector’s Dolphins left, making it the rarest marine dolphin in the world.

“We’ve been pushing for a ban on recreational set netting for some time, because even one death each year caused by fishing – and that’s either commercial or recreational fishing - could push the North Island Hector’s Dolphin to extinction”, said WWF-NZ Chair Paul Bowe.

“The fact that five Hector’s Dolphins in Canterbury have been killed in the past six months shows just how dangerous set netting is, and it’s crucial that we remove this danger to the even more rare North Island Hector’s Dolphin.”

Mr Bowe said the Ministry of Fisheries is consulting with the public at the moment over how to protect the North Island Hector’s Dolphin from both commercial and recreational fisheries. “Currently there’s no protection at all for the North Island Hector’s Dolphin”, he said.

ENDS
For further information:
Megan Huber
Communications Officer, WWF
Tel: (04) 499-2932
megan.huber@wwf.org.nz

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