'Unacceptable': Hundreds of tītī killed in trawler catch
More than 200 seabirds were accidentally caught and killed by a fishing trawler in Te Waewae Bay in Southland earlier this year.
Forest & Bird is demanding more information from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) about the 207 deaths, published in MPI's quarterly bycatch report for January to March.
The birds were adult tītī sooty shearwaters, which are native to New Zealand and classified as at risk/declining.
Forest & Bird's regional conservation manager for Otago and Southland Chelsea McGaw said the birds were likely to have been foraging at sea to feed their chicks, which likely starved to death.
"The scale of bycatch is unacceptable and right now, it's failing our wildlife," she said.
"It is a sobering thought that catches like this are not illegal, as long as they are reported."
Forest & Bird said it wanted to know what the ministry and commercial trawl fisheries were doing to prevent a repeat of similar deaths in future.
McGaw said it should be considered a warning sign.
"A trawler that can kill this many tītī in one go could easily wipe out other threatened or at-risk seabirds, like the toroa Antipodean albatross. We need mandatory, enforceable rules that include effective bird scaring devices and fish waste management," she said.
MPI's bycatch quarterly report showed 1083 seabirds and protected marine species accidentally were captured by fishing vessels between January to March. Of those, 771 died.
In other instances, 18 leatherback turtles were killed by a vessel off the coast of Auckland, 17 fur seals were killed by a boat in the Southeast region, and 45 "unidentified" petrels, prions or shearwaters were killed in one instance off the coast of Auckland.
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