The Government's decision to create a permanent ban on set-net fishing around the Otago Peninsula is a significant victory for one of the world’s rarest penguins, says WWF-New Zealand.
The decision follows growing concern over the plight of the hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin), with the mainland population edging ever closer to extinction.
WWF-New Zealand spokesperson Caitlin Owers says today’s decision will give hoiho a fighting chance at survival.
"Hoiho are one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most treasured species, yet they are hanging on by a thread. Today’s decision is fantastic news for these iconic birds.
“We cannot allow a future where the only place people ever see this priceless taonga is on the back of our five-dollar note.”
Latest figures from the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust show just 115 hoiho nests remain on the mainland and Rakiura. The birds are being hammered by a lethal mix of threats: drowning in commercial fishing nets, starvation from collapsing fish stocks, disease, and the mounting pressures of climate change.
WWF-New Zealand and the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust have been campaigning to strengthen protections for this cherished bird, with more than 5,000 New Zealanders directly contacting Ministers to share their concern.
Owers says today's announcement must mark the beginning, not the end, of efforts to save the species.
"Today’s announcement is a huge step forward, but hoiho are still facing a perfect storm of threats. Protecting them means protecting the ocean they depend on.
“We need to build on this progress by urgently accelerating the creation of marine protected areas and better managing our fisheries so there is enough food left in the ocean to sustain hoiho and other marine life.
“To let these birds vanish on our watch would be a moral failure and a national tragedy.”
With the General Election approaching, WWF-New Zealand is calling on all political parties to make ocean health a priority by committing to its 10 ‘Actions for a healthy ocean’, including protecting at least 30% of Aotearoa New Zealand’s ocean through high-quality, Treaty-consistent marine protection; phasing out bottom trawling in vulnerable marine habitats; and reviewing New Zealand’s fisheries management system.