EPISODE · Mar 5, 2026 · 3 MIN
Conservation group says fine for dolphin killing not enough
from Checkpoint
A conservation group says the $5000 fine handed down to an Otago fisher for killing a Hector's dolphin highlights the failure to protect the endangered mammals. But industry lobby group Seafood NZ claims it actually shows how well the system is working. FV Emma Jane was fishing off the coast of Oamaru last February when an on-board camera captured a dolphin caught in its set net. One of the crew cuts the dead Hector's dolphin free and it sinks into the sea. The vessels' skipper, who was already facing other charges for trawling in a protected zone, lied on his catch report. Then lied twice more when confronted by fisheries officials when the footage was viewed months later. Keiller MacDuff reports.
What this episode covers
A conservation group says the $5000 fine handed down to an Otago fisher for killing a Hector's dolphin highlights the failure to protect the endangered mammals. But industry lobby group Seafood NZ claims it actually shows how well the system is working. FV Emma Jane was fishing off the coast of Oamaru last February when an on-board camera captured a dolphin caught in its set net. One of the crew cuts the dead Hector's dolphin free and it sinks into the sea. The vessels' skipper, who was already facing other charges for trawling in a protected zone, lied on his catch report. Then lied twice more when confronted by fisheries officials when the footage was viewed months later. Keiller MacDuff reports.
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Conservation group says fine for dolphin killing not enough
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