|
Thursday, 17 December 2009 07:12 |
|
 Independent conservation organisation Forest & Bird believes Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley should have set a lower sea lion kill quota for this squid fishing season to reflect the declining sea lion population.
Last night Mr Heatley announced he had set a limit of 76 New Zealand sea lions that can be killed in squid fishing nets during the 2010 fishing season around the sub-Antarctic islands.
Forest & Bird Marine Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles says Mr Heatley should have chosen a much lower figure because of the sharp decline in sea lion pups born last summer and because the total sea lion population has dropped to 9800 from 12,000-14,000. The revised figure was published last month.
"The Minister has not been cautious enough, selecting a figure at the higher end of the range of Fisheries Ministry-recommended options. In setting the 76 figure, he has failed to adequately reflect the alarming 31% fall in the number of sea lion pups born last summer and the decline in the overall sea lion population to 9800," Kirstie Knowles says. "On top of this, last summer DOC reported about 700 female sea lions did not return to their breeding sites on the sub-Antarctic islands.... Read Full Article
 |
Show/hide comment form
