Ministry of Fisheries reminds fishers to take special care when set netting in Wellington Harbour

2 February 2009

The Ministry of Fisheries is reminding people to take special care if using set nets in Wellington harbour. This reminder comes after the Department of Conservation (DOC) confirmed last Friday, 30 January, that rare Hector’s dolphins have been spotted in the harbour during last week. Hector’s dolphins can drown if they get caught in the fine mesh nets.

“If fishers are using, or planning to use, set nets in the harbour they should make sure they know the rules and exercise good judgement in setting their nets to avoid harming these rare dolphins or other marine mammals” said National Environment Manager Steve Halley “fishers should stay with their nets at all times and not fish if the dolphins are nearby”.

In 2008, the then Minister of Fisheries introduced a set net ban in many areas of the country. In areas where set nets are still allowed, fishers should make sure they use their net responsibly and follow the code of practice for set netting developed by the Ministry.

“If you are unsure of where there are set net bans in place or for a full guide to responsible set netting you can call into your local MFish office, or visit fish.govt.nz” said Mr Halley.