Government has imposed ban on commercial fishing aimed to protect rare dolphins. Reacting to this the commercial fishing industry has sought stay order on the ban from High Court. According to the Court ruling the proposed bans have temporarily been lifted for fishermen off some areas of the west coast of the North Island, the Marlborough Sounds and at Te Waewae Bay in Southland.
The Court verdict says that most bans on set netting, drift netting and trawling around the rest of the country will still go ahead. It is said that the bans, put forward in May, were meant to come into force on Wednesday to help protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins. The Federation of Commercial Fishermen raised voice against these bans and along with a number of fishing companies challenged the restrictions, saying they would cost jobs in areas where the dolphins were never seen.
The federation declared that they also care for dolphins but sought seasonal relief where jobs were under immediate threat. The conservation groups denounced the challenge. Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said he was deeply disappointed with the decision and he was seeking advice on the implications of the judgment. He told that commercial fishers should think twice about the risk world’s rarest dolphins have.
