Tough new measures to protect New Zealand's threatened Hector's and Maui's dolphins will have a significant impact on the fishing industry.
The dolphins are the world's rarest, with around 8,000 South Island Hector's dolphins thought to be alive and less than 150 Maui's dolphin left in the wild.
The measures include regional bans, and restrictions on set netting, trawling and drift netting in coastal waters where the dolphins are most often found. There will also be increases monitoring in the areas where the dolphins are most frequently found.
"The measures strike the best achievable balance between the protection of these iconic dolphins and the activities of our commercial and recreational fishers," says Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton.
The measures will have a significant impact on fishers.
Anderton says it is estimated that the costs to the commercial fishing industry over a five to ten year period will be up to $79.1 million. That consists of lost quota value as well as lost income.
The Ministry of Fisheries says up to 295 jobs will be lost as a result of the measures - up to 65 in fishing, 65 in onshore fish processing and up to 165 in supply industries and the wider economy.
Anderton says the decision has not been easy but he believes the right balance has been struck.
""The decision has been a very difficult one because it will have a significant impact on some fishers' livelihoods, and on the recreational activities of many others. I have given careful thought to the unique conditions in each area, and have put in place the measures I consider necessary to protect these dolphins," he says.
The measures sit alongside four new marine mammal sanctuaries also announced on Thursday.
