Māui and Hector’s dolphin advocates say a new report from the Department of Conservation shows marine mammals need more protection and that Marine Mammal Sanctuaries are not fit for purpose as trawlers’ deadly impacts become more clear.

The Conservation Services report produced by Cawthron Institute, ‘Identification of marine mammals captured in New Zealand Fisheries 2022-2023’ revealed 109 marine mammal bycatch events reported by fisheries observers alone, between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. These included common dolphins, dusky dolphins, Hector's, an orca, sea lions and 102 fur seals, including five captures within Marine Mammal Sanctuaries.

Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders Chair, Christine Rose, says observer coverage on fishing vessels has been historically low, and so these reported deaths are just the tip of the iceberg.

Since the roll out of cameras on fishing boats in October 2023, reported trawl deaths of Hector’s dolphins have increased by around 600%. The Government’s Threat Management Plan for Māui and Hector’s aims for near zero bycatch, and recovery of Māui and Hector’s throughout their range, but Rose says this is impossible with the presence of trawl and set nets within their habitat.’

“New Zealanders, and people across the world, should be appalled at New Zealand's industrial fishery impacts which have turned New Zealand’s own dolphins - Māui and Hector’s, from once the most abundant dolphins, to some of the world’s rarest.”

“Sadly it’s not just Hector’s being killed. But the widely loved orca, playful dusky dolphins, now uncommon common dolphins, sea lions and huge numbers of seals, are all victims to the fishing industry.”

Rose says, ‘We’re in a biodiversity crisis right here, right now, and the fishing industry, trawlers in particular, are clear culprits.”

Dolphin Defenders call on the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his government to protect Hector’s and the other species being wiped out by fishing nets. “It’s clear the indiscriminate effects of the fishing industry, trawling in particular, are unsustainable, and Marine Mammal Sanctuaries are no defence against their plunder”.

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