The government of New Zealand has issued an interim measure to reduce the risk to sea lions and the majority of squid quota owners and fishers have willingly agreed to it. This new measure is meant for a voluntary reduction of fishing activity this season which will effectively cap the maximum possible sea lion mortalities at a lower level. This interim measure is in response to provisional reports that indicate pup numbers on the Auckland Islands are well down this breeding season.
The Department of Conservation (DoC) has released a report showing an unexplained drop in the recorded numbers of sea lion pups. In order to reduce the accidental catch the Minister of Fisheries sets an annual limit of the number of sea lions that are allowed to be caught before the fishery is closed for the year. This ensures that fishing does not become a factor in the risks facing the species.
Richard Wells, a fisheries specialist from the Deepwater Group, said that the immediate response from the squid fishing industry to the Minister was that they can and will reduce their fishing activities for this season as an interim measure. He told that fishermen have never seen the by-catch limit as some kind of target or license to kill and if they can help to keep the balance then they will do so.
Wells also informed that there is common concern in people about the individual sea lion deaths and that’s why all are focused on ensuring the fishermen do everything practicable to mitigate the small risk that fishing poses to individual sea lions.
