It is informed that the new fishing bans will come into force for recreational and commercial fishers from 1 October 2008. Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said that the new rules are a variety of regional bans and other restrictions on set netting, trawling and drift netting in coastal waters. He added that set netting will now be banned around much of the South Island’s coast, with new trawl restrictions close to shore on the east and south coasts. The existing set net bans on the upper North Island’s west coast will be extended, and there will be new trawling and drift netting bans, says Anderton.
All the details and rules were given by the Ministry of Fisheries in all forms. Jim Anderton told that Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins were among the world’s rarest, they are found only in New Zealand waters and their survival was up to Kiwis. Figures revealed that there are fewer than 8,000 of the Hector’s dolphin species left, mostly around the South Island. The North Island Maui’s dolphin sub-species is estimated to number only around 111 dolphins, and is classified as “nationally critical” by the Department of Conservation.
Jim Anderton also informed that with this new rule the concerns of those whose livelihoods and recreation will be affected, but these rules were not the most severe of the options proposed and they strike the best achievable balance between fishing activity and the protection of an iconic species. According to Anderton while some bans could not be implemented in some areas, most bans would come into force as scheduled, including all measures for recreational fishing.
