Bycatch limits in Hector's dolphin protection plan 'far too high', advocates say
Wednesday, 12 October 2022
Advocates are concerned new measures aimed at stopping the South Island’s vulnerable Hector’s dolphins ending up as fishing bycatch have increased the acceptable number of dolphin deaths in two parts of Canterbury, from Government’s original proposal.
On Wednesday, Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker unveiled three changes aimed at protecting the species, which will be implemented by the end of the year. It was the first time a fishing-related mortality limit has been applied to Hector dolphins.
The 2020 commercial and recreational set-net fishing ban area around Banks Peninsula will be further extended, and an extra 1100km² of South Island coastline will be closed to set-netting – protecting 17,600km² in total.
Trawl closures and gear restrictions will also cover more than 6900km² of coastline.
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* Dolphin advocates say Government's proposed protections are fundamentally flawed
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Parker said a new bycatch reduction plan would also be applied to all South Island Hector’s dolphin subpopulations.
While allowing fishing to continue, the plan had a mix of regulatory and voluntary measures to incentivise and support fishers to improve their practices and avoid “all Hector’s dolphin bycatch”, he said.
One of the smallest marine mammals in the world, Hector’s dolphins are only found in New Zealand’s waters and are considered nationally vulnerable, with a population of about 15,000.
Their North Island subspecies, the Māui dolphin, is critically endangered, with as few as 54 left.
“We need to work to reduce the number of these dolphins killed by fishing to as close to zero as possible”, Parker said.
“While current measures have been effective in significantly reducing the risks of dolphin deaths from fishing, more action is needed to protect populations throughout their natural range.”
Their key focus was on implementing a plan to reduce accidental catch of Hector’s dolphins in the long term, he said.
“[The plan] sets regulatory limits for bycatch so that I can act quickly and impose further restrictions if necessary.”
But this limit, which allows 46 dolphins a year on the South Island’s east coast to end up as accidental fishing bycatch, left advocates with grave concerns.
In the original 2020 consultation document, it was proposed six dolphin deaths per year in Otago was an acceptable level. But in his decision letter, Parker said concerns about the size of the Otago population lead him to reduce that limit to two.
He allocated the four-dolphin difference to Banks Peninsula and Timaru, up from 18 and 10 deaths per year, to 20 and 12 respectively. His letter maintained this limit was less than half of the species’ population sustainability threshold.
Advocacy group Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders said the extended set-netting closures don’t go far enough.
“We welcome the extended ban on this practice in parts of the Otago and South Coast,” chairperson Christine Rose said.
“[But] a ban should also have been extended to protect Hector’s from commercial trawling in their habitat.”
Instead, the plan relied on “unproven voluntary measures” and a ”bycatch target”, which increased the number of dolphins that could acceptably die in fishing nets in Banks Peninsula and Timaru, on what was first proposed, she said.
“This is no way to keep dolphins safe, in populations where every life matters.”
Green MP Eugenie Sage said the fishing-related mortality limits of 20 Hector’s dolphin around Banks Peninsula, 12 off the Timaru coast, seven off the Kaikōura coast and five in Marlborough’s Cloudy and Clifford Bays were far too high.
“There is no fisheries-related mortality limit for dolphins on the South Island’s West Coast. Relying on voluntary measures by the industry there is inadequate, especially with limited observer coverage and the fact that on-board cameras won’t be rolled out until 2024.”
Parker said the fishing-related mortality limit was not a target.
“The focus of the plan is working with fishers to ensure bycatch numbers trend towards zero and never reach the limits that have been set.
“The approach being taken is essentially an “incident response” one – any time a dolphin is caught officials will work with that fisher to ensure there is no repeat.”
Technology like on-board cameras, real-time catch reporting and monitoring commercial boat locations would allow his team to better protect dolphins, while allowing fishing to continue, he said.
“These give greater certainty that fishing-related dolphin deaths will not exceed the levels necessary to allow these populations to thrive and recover.
“Fishing supports communities throughout the South Island. The new measures will improve protection while also allowing fishers to continue to provide an important economic contribution to our coastal communities.”
In the year to July 31, 19 Hector’s and Māui dolphins were found dead and reported to the Department of Conservation (DOC). It marked a six-fold increase on the year before – from August 2020 to July 2021 – when just three deaths were reported.
DOC’s database says at least 13 Hector’s dolphins had died in commercial fishing nets near Banks Peninsula alone since August 2017.
The new measures come on the back of Government’s 2020 dolphin protection measures, which included a nationwide ban on drift-netting, extensions to the marine mammal protection areas and a proposal to prohibit seismic surveying and seabed mining in the five marine mammal protection areas.
*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said there had been an unprecented number of bycatch deaths in the last year. While there has been an high number of deaths, they have not been attributed to bycatch. (Amended 12.36pm, October 14, 2022)