NMFS Considering Import Ban on New Zealand Fish and Fish Products

The National Marine Fisheries Service seeks comments on a petition to ban imports of fish and fish products from New Zealand that are caught using methods that result in the incidental death of the Maui dolphin. The petition says 11 fish species are caught using set nets, trawls or gillnets in the Maui dolphin range off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, and those fishing methods have caused the population of the Maui dolphin to fall from about 2,000 in 1981 to 55 in 2011. As it considers the request for the import ban, NMFS seeks input on the adequacy of New Zealand’s current conservation measures, whether they are comparable to U.S. programs, whether the decline is directly related to the fishing methods and which specific fisheries are harming the Maui dolphin. Comments are due March 27.