Sea lions will continue to be killed by fishing vessels unless the Government steps in

Endangered native sea lions will continue to be killed in commercial fishing nets unless the Government takes stronger action than is proposed in a flimsy Threat Management Plan, the Green Party said today.

Submissions close today on the proposed Threat Management Plan for the New Zealand sea lion/rāpoka. The plan suggests several streams of new research, but doesn’t make changes to fishing rules to reduce sea lions being caught and drowning in fishing nets.

“We don’t allow hunters to accidently kill kakapo or great spotted kiwi, so why is it okay for the fishing industry to kill any of our critically endangered New Zealand sea lions?” said Green Party primary industries spokesperson Eugenie Sage.

“National’s plan for our native sea lions is too weak. It proposes that if the population of New Zealand sea lions is trending upwards in 20 years and has at least one more sea lion than in 2015, then the plan is a success.

Recently published information shows that in the 2013–14 fishing year, there were four observed captures of New Zealand sea lions in trawl fisheries. It was estimated by a statistical model that there were a total of 10 captures, and 52 “interactions”. It is not known how many sea lions died or were severely injured after contact with a device designed to exclude sea lions from fishing nets.

“The Government can take action to protect sea lions by enlarging the Marine Mammal Sanctuary around the Auckland Islands and extending the fishing-free zone.

“A bigger no-fishing area would protect sea lions from being caught in nets and would also reduce competition by fishing vessels for species like squid, which sea lions need for food.

“The Green Party in government will put fisheries observers on board all vessels fishing in the sea lions’ habitat. When a sea lion gets caught in a net, that fishery should be closed,” said Ms Sage.

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing New Zealand.

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Primary Industries Announcements

Petition

Take action to protect our oceans

We’re taking the health of our oceans seriously and our Thriving Oceans Plan sets out exactly how the Green Party will protect them so we all can e...

TAKE ACTION

Thriving Oceans

Oceans are the lifeblood of our planet and home to thousands of taonga species, providing us with nourishing food to feed our families, supporting...

Farming for the Future

Here in Aotearoa, we can have a thriving and sustainable farming sector that is good for farmers, good for people, and good for the planet. By mak...

Supporting farmers to be part of the solution

Our farmers are already leading the way toward climate-friendly agriculture - but governments must support them to go further, faster. The Green ...

SIGN ON

Policy

Agriculture and Rural Affairs Policy

The Green Party will support the agricultural sector through a just transition to reduce its emissions, minimise harmful inputs and practices, rege...

Policy

Forestry Policy

The Green Party will support a viable, innovative and stable forestry industry and ensure plantation forests are managed and harvested in alignment...