| Membership | Conservation | Media | Support | Publications | Branches | Enjoying Nature | Children | About Us |
|
| ||
|
|
| |
| ||
|
|
Set Net Free Seas Now!
They also catch and kill nearly everything that swims into them. They are one of the least sustainable fishing methods and kill many of our protected species. In particular, set nets are the single largest threat to one of our most vulnerable species at risk of extinction – the Hector’s dolphin. A national ban on set nets is needed - now! Set Nets Today nearly all gill nets are made of monofilament nylon strands. Recreational set nets are less than 60m in length and some commercial fishers regularly set 20 km of set nets a day. When not anchored to the seabed they are called drift nets. Following outrage by New Zealanders when foreign drift-netters moved into the South Pacific, and after a after a long campaign by conservationists, drift nets over 1km long were banned in New Zealand waters in 1989. Small drift nets and set nets are however still legal – putting vulnerable marine mammals and seabirds at risk. The most commonly targeted fish caught using set nets is Lemonfish (small sharks, also known as Spotted dogfish or 'rig') largely caught to supply Fish & Chip shops. 
Rules for set net fishing North Island west coast - Maunganui Bluff (near Dargaville) to Pariokariwa Point north of New Plymouth:
South Island south coast - Slope Point in the Catlins to Sandhill Point east of Fiordland:
South Island east coast - Cape Jackson in the Marlborough Sounds to Slope Point in the Catlins:
South Island west coast - Cape Farewell in the north to Awarua Point north of Fiordland:
For more information, visit MFish Until these measures come into effect and where set nets are allowed to be used, the main rules for recreational set netting:
Illegal set netting is widespread in New Zealand waters, where an estimated 60,000 recreational fishers use set nets. If you see an illegal set net please report it to the compliance officer at your local Ministry of Fisheries office or call the Ministry on 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476224). Even if obeyed to the letter, however, these regulations or even stricter controls can never make set nets environmentally acceptable.
Death of Hector’s dolphins The Hector’s dolphin is the world’s rarest marine dolphin. Entanglement and drowning in set nets is responsible for over 60 per cent of all known causes of reported Hector’s dolphin deaths. This is based on reported deaths only. Given that many entanglements go unreported, the actual number killed by set nets may be much higher. Dolphins are marine mammals - they live in the sea but breathe air. The lungs of Hector’s dolphin are small - only about the size of human lungs - so it only takes one or two minutes for them to drown.
Who is responsible? Data on all known set net entanglements from DoC's National mortality database (Jan 2000-April 2007) show that the recreational fishing sector is responsible for most South Island Hector’s dolphin deaths. However, the commercial sector is also responsible for dolphin deaths. Current regulations on set nets however are largely focused on recreational net use only.
Deaths of other marine life Set nets kill nearly every fish, bird and marine mammal that swims into them. They are perhaps the most wasteful and indiscriminate fishing method ever developed. The following birds, marine mammals, sharks and turtles have been reported caught in set nets in New Zealand waters:Crested grebe; Sooty shearwater; Fluttering shearwater; Hutton's shearwater; Yellow-eyed penguin; Blue penguin; Fiordland crested penguin; Gannet; Black shag; Pied shag; Little black shag; Little shag; Stewart Island shag; Spotted shag; Brown teal ; Harrier hawk; New Zealand dotterel ; Black-backed gull; Scamperdown beaked whale; Orca; Bottle-nosed dolphin; Common dolphin; Dusky dolphin; NZ sea lion; NZ fur seal; Leathery turtle Set nets literally strip inshore waters of marine life. Between the mid-1970s and 1993 more than 50 yellow-eyed penguins, 730 shearwaters and 250 shags were reported drowned in set nets. Slow-growing reef fish are also vulnerable to this method of fishing and easily over-exploited. Sharks, which are particularly vulnerable to fishing (link to shark page) are also caught in set nets, including large species such as Bronze whalers. Most entanglements of marine mammals and birds are never reported. Some Hector’s dolphin carcasses are found half buried in sand, with tails chopped off or with injuries that suggest attempted disposal. The reported kills are therefore only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Ghost fishing Many of the dead and injured fish are attacked by marine scavengers, drop out when the net is finally pulled in or are so decomposed they have to be discarded. Badly placed or lost nets are also dangerous to boats and divers. Set nets must be banned to help make New Zealand's waters safer for all marine life.
International positions on set nets In many countries the use of set nets is very restricted. Many states in the USA ban or tightly control set nets. In California the set nets are banned in water shallower than 100m. Texas, Florida and Washington have similar bans. Several European states have similar controls, including Denmark, Italy, England and Scotland. In Australia amateur set netting is not permitted except in Tasmania. In Fiji set netting has been banned for 20 years - for testimonials click here (PDF) As Professor David Gaskin of the University of Guelph, Ontario, said: “There is hardly a civilised Fisheries Department in the world that would not ban this sloppy terrible method of fishing if the politicians would show some backbone."
Why are they still being used? Good question! Set netting is indiscriminate, totally unsustainable and killing our protected species. Virtually every fish species sought commercially or valued by recreational fishers can be caught by alternative methods, such as line fishing and drag netting. Forest & Bird supports a drive in the market to request that species such as those sold in Fish & Chip shops, are caught by sustainable fishing gears and methods other than set nets.
Help stop the use of deadly set nets Support our campaign calling for: Set Net Free Seas Although in the short term a ban would be opposed by some commercial and recreational fishers, it would protect our vulnerable marine mammals and seabirds and would breathe some life into depleted coastal and reef fish populations which have taken a hammering from this indiscriminate fishing method. A nationwide ban on set nets is necessary even in areas where Hector's dolphins are not found because they kill so many other marine species.
What You Can Do
More information on this site
This page was updated on 12 June, 2008 |  |
|
