Peter Bodeker, CEO of New Zealand Seafood Industry Council, said that new bans are doing nothing but closing thousands of square kilometers of sea to set-net fishing would wreck Kiwi businesses for no good reason and would be unlikely to save a single dolphin.
He informed that under this consideration this is an extension of a set net ban on the west coast of the North Island from four to seven nautical miles from shore. An area at the top of the South Island is also being considered for a set-net closure. It is expected that the bans would ostensibly be to protect the rare Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin populations. But Bodeker says there is no evidence they are at risk from commercial fishermen.
Bodekar said that if these bans under consideration protected these dolphins we would support it, but the data says it will make no difference to the dolphins. In 2003 the set-netters affected by the impending decision were forced to fish outside four nautical miles. He further said that extending this ban would not provide any greater protection for the dolphins than already exists, but it would damage the livelihoods of hard working New Zealanders.
