_22 April 2009
Forest & Bird media release for immediate use

Forest & Bird alarmed at protected species killed in coastal fisheries

Set nets catch more protected species than previously thought, according to Ministry of Fisheries observer programme results released on the Ministry website today.

Forest & Bird Marine Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles says these results reinforce Forest & Bird’s concern about the indiscriminate nature of set net fishing. Forest & Bird is calling for a nationwide ban on set nets.

The Ministry of Fisheries observer programme – in which independent observers spend time on fishing boats to count accidental deaths of other creatures – shows that protected species are more vulnerable to capture than previously thought.

In just two months, observers on set net and inshore trawl vessels recorded the accidental death of a significant number of seabirds, including 24 albatrosses, 32 shags and five endangered yellow-eyed penguins, plus nine common dolphins, three fur seals and one great white shark. Some of these species have never been recorded killed in these fisheries before.

Capture of protected species in set nets around New Zealand was well publicised last year after the Government introduced set net restrictions to protect endangered Hector’s dolphins and critically endangered Maui’s dolphins. The observers did not see any Hector’s dolphins killed this summer but they did record interactions of the dolphins with fishing gear. Many Hector’s dolphins were observed around boats in areas where set netting is still allowed. The dolphins spend more time offshore in winter and the report says that the level of interaction with fishing will increase.

“These new results show that set nets catch more than fish,” Kirstie Knowles says. “They also highlight the importance of having observers on fishing vessels and the need for ongoing work with fishers to ensure good knowledge of fisheries-related deaths in the future.”

The observer programme this summer had the highest level of coverage ever achieved on smaller inshore vessels.

Before this research, seabird captures across other New Zealand fisheries were estimated to be more than 3000 each year, including many species threatened with extinction.

Forest & Bird wants the Ministry of Fisheries to set up an incident action team to strengthen the management of bycatch. The Ministry has indicated to Forest & Bird that it is keen to do this.

ENDS

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