As per the press release the Ministry of Fisheries today announced decisions flowing from a review of the closure of two areas to set net fishing. The review covered restrictions on fishing designed to manage the threats posed to the West Coast North Island (WCNI) Maui’s dolphin population and the East Coast South Island (ECSI) Hector’s dolphin population.
Gavin Lockwood, Ministry of Fisheries Deputy Chief Executive Fisheries Management, said that the review followed a High Court ruling last year that two restrictions implemented in 2008 to protect dolphins were to be reconsidered. He told that the restrictions were part of a package of area closures. He added that the fishing method restrictions implemented as part of the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin Threat Management Plan developed by the Ministry of Fisheries and the Department of Conservation in 2008.
According to him it is good to have reconsidered the restrictions. Based on this Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley has decided some restrictions such as
• To retain the prohibition on commercial fishing using set nets in the area between four and seven nautical miles from the shore on the WCNI
• To provide an exemption to the set net prohibition on the ECSI to allow commercial fishers targeting butterfish to use set nets in a defined area.
The main reasons behind such decisions are the Maui’s dolphin population is about 111. Given this population, very low levels of mortality caused by people can have a significant impact. Even though the risk of mortality from fishing in the four to seven nautical mile is low still it is not acceptable, says the Minister.
Heatley has directed the Ministry to advise him whether an exemption may be warranted for recreational set net fishers targeting butterfish in the same defined area of the ECSI where he granted the commercial exemption. The Ministry will release a consultation document shortly.
