New Zealand government to undertake net review after dolphin deaths

The government in New Zealand is reviewing the use of commercial set nets (a type of gillnet that is attached to the seabed) after the deaths of five Hector’s dolphins in one net in February. The incident took place off the Banks Peninsula off the east coast of the South Island. A complete ban on their use could now be proposed.

Hector’s dolphins are only found in New Zealand and have seen their numbers plummet in recent decades with entanglement in nets the major cause. These kinds of nets are already banned in other parts of the world and also indiscriminately catch other wildlife such as birds and turtles.

In New Zealand, WDC has helped develop an app which enables sightings of Hector’s dolphins to be recorded to help with their conservation. Download for iOS or Android.