'Killers' warning over dolphins - Newspaper article

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Protection must immediately be given to Maui's dolphins in Taranaki waters or New Zealand's fishing fleet risks being branded "dolphin killers", an academic warns.
Otago University zoology professor Liz Slooten has been studying Maui's dolphins and their South Island counterpart Hector's dolphins, since 1984.
Just 55 adult Maui's are believed to exist off the North Island's west coast and new rules to protect them come into force at the end of the month.
Set netting will be banned within 3.7 kilometres of shore and commercial fishing boats must carry observers if they wish to use set nets between there and 12.6km.
Fishermen claim the new measures are unnecessary but conservationists so they don't go far enough.
Yesterday Prof Slooten said there was more awareness about the plight of the world's rarest marine mammal issue overseas than here.
Failing to take action to prevent the Maui's extinction could see the international community boycott New Zealand fish in protest.
"Logically it doesn't make sense for people to boycott hoki, for instance, because dolphins aren't being killed in the hoki industry but that is the next step. Do we want to be seen as dolphin killers overseas," she said.
Despite some fishermen claiming Maui's did not live in Taranaki waters, Prof Slooten said past sightings showed they did and if those sightings were no longer happening it was only because the population had declined so much.
She said it was now so small it could afford just one death every 10 to 23 years and with set nets by far the biggest threat to Maui's dolphins fishermen must look at alternatives.
But Taranaki Commercial Fishermen's Association president Ian McDougall said four boats currently used set nets and there was no suitable alternative when targeting valuable rig, warehou and trevally stocks.
"Warehou don't take bait and you can't catch rig on a commercial scale with long lines," he said.
Quota restrictions, market demand and conversion costs also meant fishermen could not simply switch to long lining for different species such as gurnard and snapper.
In January, Mr McDougall reported he had caught a Hector's or Maui's dolphin in his set net off Cape Egmont. As required by law he returned the dolphin to the sea.
In April a dead Hector's dolphin was washed up near Opunake.
Taranaki Commercial fishermen will today meet a representative of the Ministry for Primary Industries to discuss the implications of placing observers on their boats.