Wellington, New Zealand – In 2018, a jack mackerel skipper mistakenly caught a pod of Māui dolphins in a purse seine net off the Taranaki coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
The fisherman faced a conundrum: While the dolphins are among the most endangered in New Zealand, if he released the net he would also be in breach of the country’s Fisheries Act and liable to a substantial fine for releasing his catch.
He decided to save the dolphins. And, in the end, avoided a fine.
The skipper worked for Sanford, New Zealand’s largest seafood company which has nearly 20 percent of New Zealand’s fishing quota. As far as the company is concerned catching a Māui dolphin is one of the worst things that can happen – second only to causing serious harm (including death) of an employee at sea.
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Another serious threat is the disease toxoplasmosis, spread through cat faeces and washed into the ocean. MĀUI63 believes that by identifying and locating individual dolphins, decisions can be made to protect them. Co-founder Dr Rochelle Constantine, who has been studying marine mammals for 25 years, says the dolphins are “our most urgent conservation problem”.
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MÄui are the world s rarest and smallest dolphin. “We currently don’t have a robust understanding about Māui dolphin distribution, particularly during winter months and at different times of the day and night,” she said. “Of critical importance for conservation, we don’t know how often dolphins use some areas that fishers are operating in, which is where there could be remaining risk of entanglement.”