Dolphin freed from net in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour by Department of Conservation

• A dolphin entangled in a net in Auckland waters has been successfully freed.
• The Department of Conservation’s team found and freed the dolphin in the western Waitematā Harbour.
• DoC urges fishers to minimise slack lines and dispose of gear responsibly to prevent debris.

A dolphin entangled in a net in Auckland waters has now been successfully freed.

The juvenile/subadult bottlenose dolphin was first spotted tangled in a fishing net in the western Waitematā Harbour on December 29.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) issued a public call for sightings of the dolphin and a companion animal on Tuesday.

An image showed the animal wrapped in fishing gear, leading to fears it was cutting into its dorsal fin.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) are asking for sightings of a pair of dolphins in the Huapai/Riverhead region of...

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Today, DoC operations manager Kirsty Prior said their marine mammal disentanglement team found the dolphin in the western Waitematā Harbour.

“It was successfully freed by 1.54pm. The dolphin was last seen free of the entanglement and swimming strongly,” she told the Herald.

“We would like to thank everyone who called the hotline, the public were vital in helping our team do their job successfully.”

DoC urges fishers and boaties to minimise floating slack lines when setting fishing gear and to dispose of waste and old gear responsibly to prevent marine debris.

Remember to stay vigilant on the water and keep your distance from marine mammals.

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