Yellow-eyed penguins at risk due to set net fishery

Sunday, 26 November 2017

Almost half the breeding population of yellow-eyed penguins on Codfish Island, west of Stewart Island, have disappeared at sea, most likely because of commercial set nets, Forest and Bird says.

Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague said the group was calling on the Government to gather those who work to protect the penguins, but also the fishing industry to agree an immediate set of actions to eliminate the risks from set netting in the penguins' feeding area.

'Unlike previous years where disease and high temperatures caused deaths on land, this year birds have disappeared at sea. There is an active set net fishery within the penguins' Whenua Hou foraging ground, and the indications are that nearly half the Whenua Hou hoiho population has been drowned in one or more of these nets.

'We are asking DOC and MPI what they intend to do to save our hoiho from extinction, because at current rates of decline we are on track to lose hoiho completely from mainland New Zealand. We have also written to the Minister of Conservation, expressing our concern.'

However, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says it is stepping up monitoring of the set net fisheries.

 Almost every penguin killed in the set net fishery was killed on a boat that had an official observer on board, Hague said.

The first step was to get more observers onto set net vessels and prioritise putting cameras on set netting boats, he said.

Department of Conservation information showed only 14 yellow-eyed penguins were found on Codfish Island, down from 24 the previous year. 

Forest & Bird said yellow-eyed penguins had also declined elsewhere this year. The Catlins had seen a drop of 10 per cent in nests and Otago Peninsula saw a small decline but not all areas have been searched yet.

The estimate for the entire southern east coast of the South Island was down 6 per cent.

However, it's not just yellow-eyed penguins at risk.

Forest and Bird Southland and Otago Conservation Manager Sue Maturin said penguins off the Otago and Southland coast have almost no protection from commercial fishing boats, in particular commercial set nets, which are often placed in the same areas that penguins forage.

'Whole groups can be wiped out in a single go, as happened to a flock of little blue penguins last year.

'There are reports the same thing may have happened to a group of yellow-eyed penguins this season, which we are very concerned about.'

 MPI acting director fisheries management Steve Halley said concerns have recently been raised regarding set nets in the Southland area and the ministry was stepping up monitoring of the set net fisheries to keep an eye  on current fishing activity.

The industry was committed to managing the impacts of fishing on all seabirds, including yellow-eyed penguins, he said.

'We intend to work with the Department of Conservation, fishers, and others to identify the impacts of fishing on this iconic species and make sure it is given the best opportunity possible to increase numbers.

'To make sure any measures are effective, we are setting up a comprehensive research programme, focused on fishing risks, so we can understand what impacts fishing might be having, and identify possible ways to remove or reduce that impact.'

There was no fully protected marine reserves from Timaru to Fiordland, so there was no area at sea penguins were able to go as the four nautical mile set net ban did not cover their foraging rounds, Maturin said.

In October 2009, the Ministry of Fisheries placed a ban on the use of recreational set nets within four nautical miles of the coast from Cake Jackson in the Marlborough Sounds along to Sand Hill Point in Fiordland.  

Set netting is fishing using a net anchored to the sea floor by weights. It is a commonly used fishing method throughout New Zealand.

 MPI has put observers on vessels commercially fishing in New Zealand waters and the high seas. That person independently confirms catch and effort to catch fish.

It also collects information about marine mammals and bird interactions including marine life caught in set nets.

However, earlier this year, Forest and Bird released data from  MPI that showed only three per cent of the set net fishery had an official observer on board.

Nearly all the recorded penguin deaths came from commercial fishing boats, Maturin said.

Maturin said Forest and Bird was taking action by managing yellow-eyed penguin reserves on land in Southland as well as advocating for the creation of meaningful marine reserves around the south east coast.

'We are determined to bring about significant improvements in the level of protection these special birds receive at sea and especially while foraging.

'We also need DOC and MPI to start doing their jobs by acknowledging the danger that fishing nets pose to our penguins and ensuring that boats without official observers have cameras on board.

'As a first step, MPI needs to get more observers onto set net vessels and prioritise putting cameras on set netting boats. 

Maturin said yellow-eyed penguins were an endangered species whose numbers on the mainland had been plummeting for the past five years.

'At this stage, every single yellow-eyed penguin is important, and every preventable drowning is a step closer to their extinction. As a country we need to face up to the role that fishing plays in their decline.'  

In information obtained under the Official Information Act,  MPI recorded 14 penguin deaths nationwide in the year from October 2015 to October 2016.

Of those 14, 12 were recorded in Southland.

All the penguins were caught in a net.

However, Hauge said that number is likely to be under-reported.

'Thirteen of the 14 deaths were reported by MPI observers, who cover only 13 per cent of fishing boats.

'The real number is likely to be in the hundreds, since 97 per cent of the fishing fleet that has no observers has reported only one dead penguin'

Department of Conservation threatened species ambassador Nicola Toki said they carry out monitoring, research and intensive management for yellow-eyed penguins alongside Treaty partner Ngāi Tahu, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, University of Otago, important local associates such as Penguin Place and Penguin Rescue, community groups and volunteers.

'Our work with yellow-eyed penguins stretches from sites on Banks Peninsula down to the subantarctic islands,' she said.

'While nest numbers are similar to last year from Dunedin northwards, there are declines further south. The estimate for the total southern east coast based on current counts is around 250 nests, down from 261 a year ago. This number is of concern given historically there were between 400-600 breeding pairs and the current number is the lowest for 27 years.'