Dump Day Decision Dumps on Dolphins

The Government has placed the endangered Hector’s dolphin at further risk of extinction by lifting restrictions on commercial fishers in the South Island, said the Green Party today.

“Minister of Fisheries Phil Healey has been sitting on this review since June, but has made a political decision to release this information, late on the Friday of the Christchurch memorial day, in order to bury this terrible decision,” said Green Party Oceans spokesperson Gareth Hughes.

Mr Hughes was responding to today’s announcement to provide an exemption to the set net prohibition on the east coast of the South Island to allow commercial fishers of butterfish to use set nets in a defined area.

“Fishers of butterfish use gillnets which they set close to shore, the area where Hector’s dolphins are most common. Dolphins could get caught in these nets,” said Mr Hughes.

“Although the Ministry of Fisheries says that there have never been any reported

catches in butterfish nets, only a tiny proportion of dolphin catches are ever reported by the industry themselves, and independent observers have only been aboard butterfish boats for a few days.

“The population of Hector’s dolphins is just over 8,000 and the Minister ought to be using the precautionary principle to give them the greatest chance of recovering to healthy population levels.

“This decision favours industry not dolphins. We need more protection for the Hector’s dolphins, not less.

“The Government is gambling with the survival of this precious species,” said Mr Hughes.