Squid fishing leads to decline in sea lion numbers

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Sun, 04 Dec 2011 6:15p.m.

Sealions get caught in fishing nets

Sealions get caught in fishing nets

By Alex Bourne

The New Zealand sea lion population has been deemed “nationally critical” by the Department of Conversation and according to a recent Otago University study squid fishing is to blame.

Currently there are limits on how much by-catch is allowed by fishing trawlers but the government is proposing to remove those limits entirely – something that is likely to increase the number of sea lions caught in fishing nets.

“If a sea lion gets caught in a net and can’t exit in time while holding its breath they will drown,” says Bruce Robertson, Deputy Lead Researcher in the Zoology Department at Otago University.

The sea lions end up as part of the by-catch in squid fishing nets and there has been a 40% drop in pups between 1998 and 2009 on their main breeding ground in the Auckland Islands.

“They are iconic New Zealand sea lions and remain the most endangered sea lion species in the world,” says Gareth Hughes, a Green Fisheries spokesman.

“The government has no cap for the amount of sea lions that can be killed in squid fishing by-catch. They are already on the brink of extinction and this decision will put them one step closer,” says Mr Hughes.

“The problem is we are trawling for squid at the same time the sea lions are trying to catch the squid. It’s always going to be a conflict,” he says.

Mr Hughes says the government needs to ensure the survival of these mammals by encouraging sustainable fishing methods and enlarging our marine reserves before these New Zealand mammals are all gone.

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Comments

15 Dec 2011 02:51p.m.

Ian wrote:

The efficacy of SLEDs has never been adequately assessed, and as such they increase uncertainty as to the true impacts of fishing. Prior to their use it was possible with great accuracy to assess bycatch, but until ejection and survival rates are determined they merely undermine the ability to monitor impacts. This combined with the doubling of trawl durations over the past decade in the fishery makes an absolute mockery of suggestions in the IPP that fisheries impacts are negligible. This really is a dark day for clean green NZ, more importantly an even darker day for NZ sea lions.

Wake up Kiwis you are not being well served by the government that is supposed to protect your natural heritage

P.S. Cyril - you dont know what you are talking about

05 Dec 2011 11:58a.m.

Nicola wrote:

@cyril - sorry, but SLEDS have NEVER been proved to work. it's one thing to have a SLED fitted, but quite another to prove that sea lions are getting out of the trawl nets alive. What we do know is that pup numbers have declined by 49% in the last 13 years - and on nearby Campbell Island (where there is a small population of sea lions, and no squid fishery in their feeding grounds) there is no decline. When the mother sea lions are killed in the trawl nets, she drowns, leaving a pup on the beach who starves to death, and she is generally pregnant as well. This is a shameful situation that NZ is going to allow an endangered species to go extinct all because of greed for squid. http://forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/publications/media-release/ministry-fisheries-proposes-fishing-industry-free-kill-endange

04 Dec 2011 08:32p.m.

cyril wrote:

What a biased and poorly ballanced article. All trawlers fishing in this fishery have to have SEDs fitted. "sealion exclusion devices" and the real catch is very low. This is not the theoritical catch DOC claimes that has had all sorts of numbers added to account for theoretical possable mortelity which is much higher. The number of adult sealions hasnt dropped, just the number of pups being born which would make any unbiased observer think that other factors were at play.