The first Hector's dolphin to be killed by a fishing net "in years", has been found in Te Waewae Bay in Southland.
The dolphin was a young female and her death was a severe blow to the endangered species, Department of Conservation Murihiku area manager Dave Taylor told NZPA.
"When it's a
female, and you've got a small population, it's not good news, no matter what the species."
He said it was the first time a Hector's dolphin death in the area had been directly related to a fishing net in years.
Mr Taylor said it will probably never be known whether it was a recreational or commercial net that killed the dolphin, but Massey University was investigating the death.
Commercial fishermen in the area are aware of the danger of their nets, so most of them use techniques to minimise the risks of dolphins getting caught up, Mr Taylor said.
"Some of their techniques include using things called pingers, which is a device that sends out an echo signal, which the dolphin picks up."
Mr Taylor said it was unlikely recreational fishermen used pingers.
"We encourage local fisher-people to stay with their net and not leave it out overnight. We're trying to get the local people down here aware of what to do to minimise the risk."
He added that it is not illegal to accidentally catch a Hector's dolphin, but if the catch is not reported to the Department of Conservation, the offender faces a fine.
Mr Taylor said it was likely the person who caught the dolphin would have needed to untangle it from their net, rather than it drifting free.
"People are probably embarrassed when they catch a dolphin."
Hector's dolphins are one of the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world.
They grow to 1.4 metres in length and are only found in New Zealand.
The Te Waewae Bay population consists of about 90 dolphins.
- NZPA
