Technical failure leaves orca capture off Gisborne unrecorded
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
There’s no footage from a camera on board a commercial fishing boat that accidentally killed an orca, due to a technical failure at the time.
Fisheries NZ says the commercial operator correctly reported the accidental capture but was unaware of the issue when it happened.
In May, two separate incidents saw orca killed in set nets, triggering an urgent investigation. It’s believed to be the first time the species has been killed in this type of net in New Zealand waters.
One occurred off the Kaikōura coast and another near Gisborne, involving different vessels.
Off the back of the information which was revealed last month The Post requested the camera footage from the commercial fishing boats in question via the Official Information Act.
Read more:
Rare orca deaths in set-nets trigger urgent fisheries review
Action needed to end rapid de-industrialisation of NZ, MPs told
Wellington’s insourcing mayor is happy with consultants … this time
In its response, Fisheries NZ declined to release the footage for two reasons.
It said that sharing “sensitive footage” could undermine the cooperation needed for industry monitoring.
It also confirmed the orca capture near Gisborne was not recorded at all due to a “technical issue” with the camera at the time.
Following more questions from The Post, Fisheries NZ verification and operations director Monique Andrews said the fisher reported the accidental capture but was unaware of the camera issue at the time.
“The fisher logged the fault the following day and this has since been resolved by Fisheries New Zealand’s camera provider.”
Andrews said Fisheries NZ and the Department of Conservation were working with international mammal experts to assess the incidents, establish the circumstances of the captures and determine what mitigations might be available to avoid them in the future.
“Captures of orca are rare and our focus is to better understand the circumstances surrounding the capture to help prevent their recurrence.”
Andrews said in bycatch incidents the primary role of the camera system was to verify details reported by the fisher and help confirm the species.
“We can also draw on global positioning (GPS) information which pinpoints the vessel’s movements on the day of the capture as well as catch reporting data.”
Despite there not being camera footage of one of the captures, the information provided by both commercial fishers could assist with the future mitigation work, she said.
New Zealand’s orca population is classified as Nationally Critical under an official Threat Classification System. Just 150 to 200 individuals are thought to remain in the coastal population.