A Hector’s dolphin has died after being caught in a fishing net off the Otago peninsula.
The capture incident involved a commercial set net vessel operating outside of the Hector’s dolphin protection zone where methods such as set netting are prohibited, the Ministry of Primary Industries said in a statement.
The dolphin is classified as nationally vulnerable, with an estimated population between 12,000 and 18,500 across the whole of the South Island, and 9000 at the location where the latest was captured.
Fisheries New Zealand acting director, fisheries management Marianne Lukkien said as a nationally vulnerable species, the loss of any Hector’s dolphin is “extremely disappointing”.
“This is the first capture of a Hector’s dolphin in this area for the current fishing year (beginning 1 October).
“It sets in motion specific actions in the by-catch reduction plan for the South Island’s Hector’s dolphins to reduce accidental captures of these precious taonga.
"The fishing industry have been notified and we are urgently discussing with fishers and industry representatives what additional measures can be voluntarily implemented to avoid further captures.”
Following this, Fisheries New Zealand said they will brief ministers on whether further regulatory changes should be considered.
All commercial set net vessels in the region are fitted with an onboard camera.
The operator of the vessel reported the capture, which took place on November 10, as being a different species of dolphin.
Fisheries New Zealand used footage from the onboard camera to confirm the species as a Hector’s dolphin.
The news comes after reports suggesting climate change is worsening the planet’s biodiversity, with the endangered species list growing by 2000 this year.
Additional reporting by AP.
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