Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders protested at Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s office on Saturday. Photo: Stuff / Zane Small
At least 15 Hector's dolphins have been killed from fishing activity since Christopher Luxon became Prime Minister almost a year ago, a protest group says.
The deaths were evidenced by Māui and Hector's Dolphin Defenders' "morality tracker", an extinction watch tool that recorded deaths listed on the Department of Conservation's database. It only included dolphin data that had been reported.
In a protest outside Luxon's Botany office on Saturday, the charity called on the "lacklustre-Luxon led coalition" to take action and create an exclusion zone to protect the dolphins from commercial fishing activity.
Hector's dolphins are endemic to New Zealand, mostly found around the South Island coast and are listed by the Department of Conservation as nationally vulnerable, meaning they are "facing high risk of extinction in the medium term".
In a statement distributed at the protest, the charity said until the roll-out of cameras onboard fishing vessels, very few dolphin bycatch deaths were reported to authorities.
The rare and vulnerable Hector's dolphin is endemic to New Zealand. Photo: Biosphoto via AFP
"Trawlers can fish less than two nautical miles from shore, key Hector's dolphins habitat. Reported dolphin deaths will inevitably rise further when cameras go live on all remaining trawl vessels on November 3," the statement said.
Māui and Hector's Dolphin Defenders' chairperson Christine Rose said, "the evidence is clear, Māui and Hector's dolphins are on the wave to extinction if Prime Minister Luxon does not take action now".
"More reporting and more evidence on top of evidence, will not change the bottom line that these iconic dolphins need protection, throughout their range, from the fishing industry now," she said.
A protest outside Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s Botany office. Photo: Stuff / Zane Small
"Any further delay in setting protective policy measures will be the death knell for more dolphins.
"The Prime Minister needs to demonstrate leadership now with an exclusion zone of 20nm and 100m deep," Rose said.
"This extinction event is happening on his watch; failing not only these unique dolphins but all New Zealanders, future generations and international biodiversity obligations."
- This story was first published by Stuff.