Change of government set to save dolphins and restore fisheries

Labour, Green and Māori parties, followed by The Opportunities Party (TOP) and NZ First are all in position to protect Māui and Hector’s dolphins and transition to more sustainable and selective fishing methods, overhauling current fisheries management.

Māui and Hector’s dolphins are the world’s smallest marine dolphin, unique to New Zealand, and have become increasingly endangered – in many places critically.

The updated Voter’s Guide ‘Solutions for Dolphins and Inshore Ecosystems’ for Election 2017 helps inform New Zealander’s choices about protection of these dolphins and inshore ecosystems. The recent changes reflect new developments and clarifications by political parties. The guide analyses each major political party’s policies regarding the protection of Māui and Hector’s dolphins. It also considers marine mining, and an independent enquiry into the Quota Management System (QMS).

Set net and trawl fishing methods are the greatest threats to their survival. These methods kill many other endangered tāonga species including: Common, Dusky, and Bottlenose dolphins, Orca; whales; Sea Lions, Leopard seals, Fur seals; Yellow-Eyed and Blue Penguins; Albatross, Petrels and Shearwaters; Turtles, and more.

These methods also cause hundreds of tonnes of fish to be dumped and wasted by the commercial fishing industry every year – unchecked.

Christine Rose, Chair of Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders, says, “According to the report, all parties except National, said they would support and / or compensate affected fishers for a transition away from destructive fishing methods. All parties except National said they would ensure the Quota Management System is independently reviewed. National are not committed to the essential steps required to protect these endangered dolphins and associated marine ecosystems, though their rating has improved slightly since the last election”.

The parties were also asked for their position on protecting the important Taranaki Bight / Cook Strait area from mining and damaging fishing methods. There are at least 37 species of whales and dolphins in the area, and it is a breeding ground for New Zealand Blue whales – the largest mammals on the planet, just beginning to recover from the whaling days. This area is also a vital corridor for Hector’s and Māui dolphins travelling between the North and South Island. “Again the Labour, Green and Māori parties have the strongest policies to protect this area in the future”, says Mrs Rose, “This protection is needed more than ever; the recent approval of seabed mining is being appealed”.

Each party policy has been reviewed as objectively and fairly as possible, based on a range of criteria detailed in the report. They were interviewed by an independent researcher and given opportunity to follow up and clarify policy. Please see the full assessment for details.
ENDS
NOTES:
• The policy assessment and report was commissioned by Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders NZ Inc with support from Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC).
• There are only about 63 Māui dolphins left in the North Island population, and the small, geographically and genetically distinct South Island Hector’s subpopulations face extinction too.
• The International Whaling Commission (IWC), International Union for Conservation (IUCN), and the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) have urged the New Zealand Government to take trawling and set netting out of inshore waters to the 100m depth contour/ 12-mile limit, to protect the dolphins.
• Scientific consensus is that Māui Dolphins can’t sustain a single human caused mortality in the next 10-23 years if the species is to survive.
• Government scientists also state that up to 8 Māui dolphins may be killed in trawl nets in any given year.
• Currently only about 14% of fishing vessels in core Māui habitat have observer coverage.
• WDC produced an economics report showing the more than 80% of NZers want strong protection measures put in place to save this species and are willing to pay more for their fish during the transition to safer, more selective fishing methods.

© Scoop Media