New Zealand National conservation organisation Forest & Bird states that fishermen are taking Minister Jim Anderton to court for protecting dolphins. It is informed that the Federation of Commercial Fishermen and three regional fishing groups have filed suit challenging the measures introduced by the Ministry of Fisheries and previous Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton to protect endangered Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins.
The killing of Hector’s dolphin in fishing net has been reported. In a separate development, New Zealand’s Department of Conservation has announced that a Hector’s dolphin was reported killed in a commercial fishing net off the east coast of the South Island on May 8. Commenting on this Forest & Bird Marine Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles said that death illustrates the need to extend fishing restrictions rather than weaken them.
She also told that the death of another Hector’s dolphin in a fishing net revealed that current protection measures are insufficient and that fishing still poses a risk to these endangered dolphins. Soon after that a judicial review of some of the fishing restrictions was announced to protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins began in the High Court in Wellington.
It is told that at the court case the fishing groups want the fishing restrictions overturned in certain areas, including some measures introduced in May to protect critically endangered Maui’s dolphins. Kirstie Knowles believes the protection measures are critical to halting the decline of the endangered dolphins.
