New Zealand ban costal net fishing to save endangered dolphins: 29-05-2008
The endangered Maui's dolphin could be saved from extinction by new measures announced by the New Zealand government to protect the species.
The government banned coastal net fishing and trawling in areas between 1.2 miles and 7.7 miles from the coast of both its main islands on Thursday and also announced new marine mammal sanctuaries in a bid to save the indigenous Hector's dolphin's and Maui's dolphins.
Fisheries minister Jim Anderton said on national radio that he hopes the measures will be enough to save the species.
"Clearly we've got iconic species here ... they only exist in New Zealand and under business as usual, inevitably (we will) watch the Maui's dolphin ... (become) an extinct population.
"We're going to give it a go, particularly for Maui's dolphins, to see if on our watch we can save them. We may not be able to," he said.
Only an estimated 7,000 Hector's dolphins remain, down from 29,000 in the 1970s while there are only 111 Maui's dolphins.
The move is expected to cost as many as 295 jobs in the fishing industry says the Washington Post.
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