Failure to report dolphin death must be investigated

20 May 2016

WWF-New Zealand is calling for the review of Operation Achilles, announced by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), to include why a Hector’s dolphin death caught on video camera was not reported and was not included in official mortality records.

“The Operation Achilles report clearly describes how a Hector’s dolphin was caught in a fishing net and died, but during the haul the crew realised this and dumped the body back in the ocean,” said Peter Hardstaff, Head of Campaigns, WWF-New Zealand.

“Even though MPI knew about this dolphin death, we can find no record of it in the official Department of Conservation statistics.

“The MPI investigation needs to be broadened to investigate this and the wider issue of endangered dolphin deaths potentially not being reported.”

Yesterday, the MPI announced an independent review into its failure to prosecute fish dumping outlined in its own Operation Achilles report.

In response, today, WWF-New Zealand wrote to MPI Minister Hon Nathan Guy and Director-General Martyn Dunne, urging them to ensure that the review’s Terms of Reference include the broader issues of the prevalence of non-reporting of dolphin deaths, and the potential widespread dumping of fish.

“We need to know whether this unreported Hector’s death is the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Hardstaff said.

“We cannot ensure the survival of these dolphin populations if the true nature and extent of the threats they face are kept secret.

“If the Ministry knows about dolphin deaths that are caught on camera and is still not reporting these, then what happens when endangered Hector’s and Māui dolphins die in fishing nets off camera?”

“This review should not be limited to the dumping exposed in the Achilles report – it also needs to include the broader issue of dumping across New Zealand’s fisheries, and the non-reporting of dolphin deaths.

Hector’s and Māui dolphins are New Zealand’s national treasures – these beautiful, tiny marine mammals only live in New Zealand’s coastal waters – nowhere else in the world. Set netting and trawling are the biggest threats to their survival.

ENDS

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