The International Whaling Commission is calling on the government to stop commercial fishing with set nets and trawling in the range of Maui dolphins.

In a recently-released report the commission says it holds ‘grave concerns’ for critically-endangered Maui dolphins.

Forest & Bird marine conservation advocate Anton van Helden says as there are only about 63 Maui dolphins in the world the commission’s message should be heeded.

“New Zealand is usually on the side of whales and dolphins with our decades-long call to end whaling, but this time it’s the International Whaling Commission telling us to sort ourselves out. It’s time to stop fishing activities that pose a risk of endangered dolphins being caught as bycatch in set nets in New Zealand waters.”

Last year the commission issued recommendations to help prevent Maui dolphins from becoming extinct. These included “closures of any fisheries within the range of Maui dolphins that are known to pose a risk of bycatch to dolphins (i.e. set net and trawl fisheries).”

Forest & Bird recently launched a petition calling on the government to put in place a zero-bycatch goal to protect threatened species from commercial fishing.