Petition Launched to Stop Bottom Trawling in Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Habitat.
- Natalie Jessup
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
Every Signature Counts. Every Dolphin Matters.
Today, we’ve launched a new petition demanding that the seafood industry stop bottom trawling in Māui and Hector’s dolphin habitats. Why? Because it’s killing them.
Hector’s dolphins were once the most common in New Zealand waters. In 1975, their population was estimated at over 50,000. Today, only 10,000 to 15,000 Hector’s dolphins remain. Their North Island cousins, the Māui dolphins, are even more critically endangered, with fewer than 50 individuals over the age of one.
Bottom trawling is one of the worst offenders. It destroys seafloor habitats, releases buried carbon, and destroys coral reefs. And it’s still happening in the very places where our endangered dolphins swim, feed, and raise their young.
On the left, the map shows bottom trawled areas, and on the right shows where Māui and Hector's Dolphins live (2010-2016)
We’re calling for an end to bottom trawling in all Māui and Hector’s dolphin habitats - from the East and West Coasts of the South Island, to every bay and estuary where these dolphins once thrived.
We urgently need to stop bottom trawling in sensitive areas, including Māui and Hector’s dolphin habitats and fragile deep-sea coral ecosystems. Help stop bottom trawling around Aotearoa - sign and share the petition today.
Every signature helps us send a clear message: Māui and Hector’s dolphins are not collateral damage. They are taonga. And they deserve to live in safe waters.
📢 Share it with your community
🛑 Help us stop bottom trawling in dolphin habitat - before it’s too late.
