Sea lions under threat in new commercial fishing net changes

New Zealand sea lions are one of the rarest sea lion species in the world and are only found here in Aotearoa.

With a population of around 12,000 - their conservation status is listed as Nationally Vulnerable.

Despite this, the Fisheries Minister has scrapped official limits on the number of sea lion deaths through commercial fishing nets.

So what will this reduced protection mean for the species?

Dr Simon Childerhouse is a senior researcher at the Environmental Law Initiative. He speaks to Jesse.