Are Gillnets Really That Bad?
Why are they Dying?
Hector’s Dolphins are dying at an unsustainable rate. Their population numbers are now 27% of what they were in the 1970s (Assignment Earth, 2010). This magnificent mammal is on the IUCN Red List under endangered. Why you might ask yourself would anyone want to kill this adorable animal? The answer is that most wouldn't, however, the majority cause of death is via by-catch from gillnets used in commercial fishing.
A gillnet is a wall of netting made from monofilament or multifilament nylon. Mesh sizes are made to only allow the head of the fish through, resulting in their gills getting caught when they are trying to escape.(NOAA, 2017) The longest gillnets can stretch up to a whopping two miles, that is about as long as the National Mall stretching from Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial! Those nets aren’t just long, that can be an average of 10-50 ft high too (Think of the hollywood sign submerged under water) A Fisherman could leave their nets in the water for a few hours to a couple of days.(The Safina Center, 2016,) The purpose of this net is to trap or create as much profit as possible. However mammals, as well as sea turtles who aren't able to free themselves from the netting die from drowning, this is an example to bycatch. Global bycatch can amount to 40% of the world’s catch, totaling 63 billion pounds per year.(OCEANA,2014) To put this number in perspective that means that if you had four plates of seafood, 1.6 of those plates would be fried Sea Turtle instead of that Tuna you were hoping to eat.
Catch These Facts, Not The Dolphin!
New Zealand is a one of the worlds most developed countries. So why is it so hard to get protective policies so that there is more restrictive range? You would imagine that they would want to protect families of dolphins while they enjoy their migration. But instead the dolphins are being cut up by boat. One can only imagine distraught mother dolphins who are intelligent and would mourn for their young. Much of the territory that the dolphins live in are relatively large but it seems as though New Zealand has turned a blind eye to this. Human intrusion in Hector’s migration route is seen to be one of the biggest reasons for their deaths. According to ICUN Red List, the New Zealand Government has created two protected areas to promote conservation; the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary which was established in 1988 under the Marine Mammals Protection Act (Effects of Fishing on Hector’s Dolphins). This while is helping the Hector’s Dolphin isn’t enough for the population to bounce back. Thankfully there is a discussion between the Ministry of Fisheries and Department of Conservation to develop a better plan which could ultimately help Hector’s Dolphin. In this case it is important for citizens around the world to message these groups and speak the truth! A continuing high level of bycatch mortality indicates that stronger protection from entanglement in commercial and recreational fisheries is needed. The already protected areas, reduced gillnet fishing effort and changes in fishing methods. Environmentally Hector’s Dolphins are affected by the earth's rising temperatures and water levels. Climate change is also a factor in why Hector’s Dolphins are confused and moving closer to fisheries in the coast mainly because dolphins don’t enjoy cold water but they also dislike warmer waters(Reeves).Many dolphins can't find their way back home during migration season.To help environmentally, we must be conscious of production of electricity (coal and petroleum) and other uses of fossil fuels in transportation and industry, because while these are directly hurting the dolphins they are part of the reason temperature is rising and sea levels are (Effects of Fishing on Hector's Dolphins).
“A plate of fish is not worth the extinction of a beautiful and graceful species. The New Zealand government and the New Zealand Fisheries Commission should hang their heads in shame over their utter indifference to the virtual extinction of the rare and remarkable Maui dolphin. This situation must be stopped. Plate of fish be damned.” – Chris Kilham, Fox News Medicine Hunter
Hector’s Dolphin VS Gillnets
The average dolphin is only able to hold their breath for 5 – 7 minutes. The lungs of Hector’s dolphin are small, about the same size of human lungs, so they drown in about the same period of time a human would if they get tangled in a net(Forest & Bird, 2012). That being said, 60% of all the deaths occurring to Hector’s dolphins, which cause of death could be determined, had died as a result of gillnet entanglement (WildEarth Guardians, 2013). These deaths from gillnets show that this adorable species is being endangered by overutilization of commercial, and recreational gillnetting. Even if fishermen aren’t intentionally targeting these animals, they are being accidentally take from us in unsustainable numbers by bycatch. With the population of Hector’s Dolphins so small to begin with, unsustainable fishing practices can easily cause excision to these cuties. Overall, the fishing industry,commercial and recreational overutilization significantly threatens the continued well being on this majestic marine mammal.
Fishing Industry
Hector's Dolphin
Are Gillnets Really That Bad?
Why are they Dying?
Hector’s Dolphins are dying at an unsustainable rate. Their population numbers are now 27% of what they were in the 1970s (Assignment Earth, 2010). This magnificent mammal is on the IUCN Red List under endangered. Why you might ask yourself would anyone want to kill this adorable animal? The answer is that most wouldn't, however, the majority cause of death is via by-catch from gillnets used in commercial fishing.
A gillnet is a wall of netting made from monofilament or multifilament nylon. Mesh sizes are made to only allow the head of the fish through, resulting in their gills getting caught when they are trying to escape.(NOAA, 2017) The longest gillnets can stretch up to a whopping two miles, that is about as long as the National Mall stretching from Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial! Those nets aren’t just long, that can be an average of 10-50 ft high too (Think of the hollywood sign submerged under water) A Fisherman could leave their nets in the water for a few hours to a couple of days.(The Safina Center, 2016,) The purpose of this net is to trap or create as much profit as possible. However mammals, as well as sea turtles who aren't able to free themselves from the netting die from drowning, this is an example to bycatch. Global bycatch can amount to 40% of the world’s catch, totaling 63 billion pounds per year.(OCEANA,2014) To put this number in perspective that means that if you had four plates of seafood, 1.6 of those plates would be fried Sea Turtle instead of that Tuna you were hoping to eat.
Catch These Facts, Not The Dolphin!
New Zealand is one of the worlds most developed countries. So why is it so hard to get protective policies so that there is the more restrictive range? You would imagine that they would want to protect families of dolphins while they enjoy their migration. But instead, the dolphins are being cut up by boat. One can only imagine distraught mother dolphins who would mourn for their young. Much of the territory that the dolphins live in is relatively large but it seems as though New Zealand has turned a blind eye to this. Human intrusion in Hector’s migration route is seen to be one of the biggest reasons for their deaths. According to ICUN Red List, the New Zealand Government has created two protected areas to promote conservation; the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary which was established in 1988 under the Marine Mammals Protection Act (Effects of Fishing on Hector’s Dolphins). This while is helping the Hector’s Dolphin isn’t enough for the population to bounce back. Thankfully there is a discussion between the Ministry of Fisheries and Department of Conservation to develop a better plan which could ultimately help Hector’s Dolphin. In this case, it is important for citizens around the world to message these groups and speak the truth! A continuing high level of bycatch mortality indicates that stronger protection from entanglement in commercial and recreational fisheries is needed. The already protected areas reduced gillnet fishing effort and changes in fishing methods. Environmentally, Hector’s Dolphins are affected by the earth's rising temperatures and water levels. Climate change is also a factor in why Hector’s Dolphins are confused and moving closer to fisheries in the coast mainly because dolphins don’t enjoy the cold water but they also dislike warmer waters(Reeves, 2013). Many dolphins can't find their way back home during migration season.To help environmentally, we must be conscious of production of electricity (coal and petroleum) and other uses of fossil fuels in transportation and industry, because while these are directly hurting the dolphins they are part of the reason temperature is rising and sea levels are (Effects of Fishing on Hector's Dolphins).
Hector's Dolphin swimming
“Courtesy of Arkive
“A plate of fish is not worth the extinction of a beautiful and graceful species. The New Zealand government and the New Zealand Fisheries Commission should hang their heads in shame over their utter indifference to the virtual extinction of the rare and remarkable Maui dolphin. This situation must be stopped. Plate of fish be damned.” – Chris Kilham, Fox News Medicine Hunter
Hector’s Dolphin VS Gillnets
The average dolphin is only able to hold their breath for 5 – 7 minutes. The lungs of Hector’s dolphin are small, about the same size of human lungs, so they drown in about the same period of time a human would if they get tangled in a net(Forest & Bird, 2012). That being said, 60% of all the deaths occurring to Hector’s dolphins, which cause of death could be determined, had died as a result of gillnet entanglement (WildEarth Guardians, 2013). These deaths from gillnets show that this adorable species is being endangered by overutilization of commercial, and recreational gillnetting. Even if fishermen aren’t intentionally targeting these animals, they are being accidentally taken from us in unsustainable numbers by bycatch. With the population of Hector’s Dolphins so small to begin with, unsustainable fishing practices can easily cause excision to these cuties. Overall, the fishing industry, commercial and recreational overutilization significantly threatens the continued well being of this majestic marine mammal.
Hector's Dolphin playing around in the ocean
Courtesy of Arkive
Dead Hector's Dolphins
Courtesy of Liz Slooten Otago University