Drone footage captured by Sea Shepherd crew off Ōtautahi / Christchurch shows what a death trap inshore trawl nets are to our native dolphins – Pahu / Hector’s. 
A small commercial trawler working off Banks Peninsula right on the legal boundary is followed by a large pod of Pahu / Hector’s dolphins. Both the vessel and the Pahu appear to be competing for the same fish.
“We haven’t seen the risk to our dolphins so clearly captured on film before”, says Michael Lawry, Sea Shepherd NZ Director.
“The trawl net is essentially acting as a dolphin aggregating device. The dolphins dive down to get their food and sometimes one gets caught in the opening of the net and drowns. It’s that simple”, says Lawry.

Commercial inshore trawling has killed 15 Pahu / Hector’s in this region (South Island - East Coast) in just over a two-year period. With another six drowning in set nets.
SSNZ Campaign Leader Grant Meikle (Ngāi Tahu) has captured photos of this also happening in Te Waewae Bay (Southland) where a “protected” Pahu dolphin was recently killed in a trawl net.
“It’s not surprising the industry is currently campaigning to have the camera footage made private as we all know what’s really happening”, says Meikle.
Sea Shepherd calls for the removal of all commercial fishing activities both gill net and trawl in Maui and Pahu habitat and demand current “Marine Mammal Sanctuaries” become real sanctuaries that actually protect them.