Fishing companies announce plan to help protect Maui dolphin, take aim at set netting

Two major fishing companies are working together to protect endangered Maui dolphins. Photo / Silvia Scali, WWF New Zealand

Two seafood companies want to ensure the world's rarest dolphin is protected from fishing nets, and have proposed a plan of action.

Moana New Zealand and Sanford are working alongside World Wildlife Foundation to protect Maui dolphins.

The companies want to achieve "Maui-safe fishing" in the dolphin's habitat along the west coast of the North Island.

The pair have announced an action plan to end coastal set netting and end conventional trawling methods in the Maui dolphin habitat.

They aim to have no catching rights leased to coastal set netters out to 100m depth north of New Plymouth from next October, and no conventional trawling within 100m depth in the Maui habitat after 2022.

Moana New Zealand and Sanford also plan to install video cameras and electronic tracking on all vessels, and together are spending $500,000 on research and compliance to support Maui-safe fishing in 2017/18.

Maui is the world's rarest and smallest marine dolphin, only found off the west coast of the North Island in relatively shallow waters.

Moana and Sanford CEOs Carl Carrington and Volker Kuntzsch said they're taking action to reduce the fishing-related threats from the Maui's known habitat range.

The range runs from Maunganui Bluff in the north to the Whanganui River mouth in the south and out to a depth of 100m.

"Over time we will extend the fishing exclusion out to the 100m depth across the Maui habitat, to remove set netting and trawling from their zone, and we will also increase the amount of monitoring on vessels."

Sanford Ltd has the largest catching presence along the west coast of the North Island.

Moana New Zealand is a significant west coast quota owner and leases catching rights to contract fishers.

Kuntzsch said the companies understand that the initiatives will adversely affect independent fishers who also catch in this area.

"Several of whom lease catching rights and have long-standing business relationships with us."

The Sanford CEO said some of these fishers will find themselves in very difficult situations and be financially challenged by their decision.

"We have been meeting with them and commit to continuing to stand alongside them if they choose to transition to more dolphin-safe methods such as long lining."

Kuntzsch said they were committed to working with all west coast fishers and groups.

"We're also looking to the Government to support this plan by finding ways to assist fishers to transition to dolphin-safe fishing methods, so the commitments we're leading with are adopted by all fishers across the whole Maui habitat."

The companies feel they have a role to play in protecting the mammals.

"Our livelihoods depend on what's out there in the oceans, and that does not only mean on the species we catch, but the health of the whole ecosystem."