Another Hector’s dolphin has been caught in fishing gear – the second within two months. The marine mammal was accidentally caught by a commercial fishing trawler off the Canterbury coast, New Zealand’s South Island.
Hector’s dolphins are among the smallest dolphins in the world and are the only cetacean endemic to New Zealand. The largest threat to the species whose population numbers are estimated to be about 15,000 is bycatch in commercial and recreational gillnets and trawls. In 2022 the NZ Government introduced fishing-related mortality limits for Hector’s dolphins which overall allow 46 a year on the South Island’s east coast to end up losing their lives through fishing gear.
Over 300,000 dolphins, whales, and porpoises die each year globally after becoming entangled in active and ghost fishing gear, but consumers have the power to end this threat. If you love these remarkable creatures, the single most important thing you can do to ensure their future is to leave all fish off your plate.
