29 August 2007 - Wellington

Forest & Bird media release for immediate use

Dolphin protection plan a good start –but must go further

The Threat Management Plan issued today to protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins is a good start, but must go further, Forest & Bird says.

Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles says that the Government plan’s proposals to establish five marine mammal sanctuaries and introduce a ban on set nets wherever the endangered dolphins are found was a positive step.

“We applaud this as a step towards a nationwide ban on set nets. Set nets are not only the most serious threat to Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins – this indiscriminate fishing method also kills a wide range of marine life, including other dolphin species, penguins, seals, sharks, rays and seabirds. Only a nationwide ban will adequately protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins and other vulnerable marine life.”

Forest & Bird welcomes the Threat Management Plan’s support for five marine mammal sanctuaries to protect key populations of Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins, Kirstie Knowles says. Activities that threaten the dolphins – such as set netting and trawling – should be banned inside the sanctuaries.

“If we want to protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins from being pushed further towards extinction, we must act urgently now and implement a national set net ban and marine mammal sanctuaries in all areas where the dolphins are found. Anything less leaves these endangered dolphins still at risk.”

However, Forest & Bird is disappointed that the plan does not propose a marine mammal sanctuary for the West Coast of the South Island, despite the majority of deaths of Hector’s dolphins in the past year occurring off the West Coast. Already this year 12 Hector’s dolphins have been reported dead on the West Coast.

Notes
* Hector’s dolphin is in the same “Endangered” threat category as the Great Panda in China on the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Red List of Species Threatened with Extinction, with about 7000 remaining (down from about 26,000 in the 1970s, when set nets began to be widely used).
* Maui’s dolphin is the genetically distinct subspecies of Hector’s dolphin, found only off the north-west coast of the North Island. Only an estimated 111 individuals remain and Maui’s dolphin is listed as critically endangered.
* Set nets are a key threat to Hector’s dolphin, responsible for more than 70% of deaths where the cause of death is known.
* Compliance with set net regulations is poor and most captures of marine mammals and birds are not reported.
* Set nets are banned or heavily restricted in many countries worldwide, including Australia, the UK and USA.

ENDS

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