Death of rare Hector’s dolphin highlights need for stricter fishing rules

A conservation expert said the death is a catastrophic blow for Otago's Hector's dolphin population.

A New Zealand native species is one step closer to extinction and a conservation expert says this highlights the need for stronger regulations for fishers in the area.

One of Otago’s few female Hector’s dolphins was killed in a net at the end of April, the first death of the species recorded in the area for 10 years.

Chelsea McGaw, Forest & Bird’s regional conservation manager for Otago called the death a “catastrophic blow” for Otago’s subpopulation.

“A loss like this puts the Otago Hector’s dolphin pod one step closer to local extinction,” McGaw said.

Although only one dolphin was killed, McGaw said the death represents a 10 per cent drop in the subpopulation’s breeding females.

Otago’s Hector’s dolphin subpopulation is just 41 strong and it does not interact with any other pods. That number hasn’t increased since 2008, despite measures to restrict fishing in their habitat around Blueskin Bay in Dunedin.

The slain dolphin was caught outside of its protected zone, where fishing methods such as netting are prohibited.

McGaw is calling for new measures to be introduced by the Ministry for Primary Industries and for the Department of Conservation to ensure that “dolphin-friendly” methods of fishing are required over the entire habitat of Otago’s Hector’s dolphins.

Additionally, under the South Island Hector’s Dolphin Bycatch Reduction Plan launched last November, the mortality limit is set at two deaths per year, which McGaw said is much too high.

“While larger populations, like the 900 or so Hector’s dolphins around Banks Peninsula, can withstand small deviations, every individual in Otago, especially a precious breeding female, is essential for the pod’s survival,” McGaw said

“Two Hector’s dolphin deaths every year is simply too high. The number should be zero.”

By the end of 2024, 300 inshore vessels will be fitted with cameras that are expected to ensure all bycatch is reported.