Māui and Hector’s dolphins are being killed as by-catch at an unsustainable level. They are exposed to gillnets (from trawlers, smaller commercial boats and recreational set nets) throughout most of their habitat. At this rate, they’ll all become extinct. The Government promised 100% observer coverage by 2016 in core Māui dolphin habitat to confirm fishing impacts and dolphin distribution. At the latest update, only a limited number of fishing vessels had observers onboard.
We call on the Government to honour its commitment to 100% observer coverage by 2016, and to protect the dolphins from bycatch throughout their full range.