Another species, the Hookers Sea Lion, is on the brink of extinction and the lack of action from Government has many of us concerned. Primary Industries Minister David Carter has announced that he will leave the fishing-related mortality limit of 68 Hookers sea lions per season. Pup numbers of sea lions on their main breeding site, the Auckland Islands, have halved since 1998. There is no argument that fishing is the main human threat to their survival. If this trend in decline of numbers continues, they could be extinct by 2035 – within our lifetime. This is a serious and real threat. So maintaining the mortality level at 68 is, in my opinion, too high. It’s too risky. Our government should be adopting a precautionary approach in this situation. In January, I called on Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson to take action. She has taken no action. Retention of the status quo has been the response from Minister Carter. These are New Zealand sea lions. They are the rarest in the world. Noone else but the Ministers can intervene to help save this species. Yet they are doing nothing. As we have seen with their inaction on Mauis’ dolphins, the real and imminent threat of an extinction of a species is not enough to get them to act.
They should be ashamed of their inaction. they bring international shame to our nation. Let them know what you think!
No one should be surprised? Key and co will compromise on anything for profit ‘now’. They represent those who would pillage today with no consideration for the future.
They will not only cause the loss of Hookers sea lions but our commercial stocks as well. Didn`t Phil Heatley as minister of fisheries a few months ago allow a 10% increase in Hoki catch without good scientific evidence
The recent forced marriage of ‘Fisheries’ with the overwhelming dept of Agriculture, with whom it has little affinity, may be a crude manoevre to control the scientists of a very small dept from having an independant voice? When Forestry was forced into a union with Agriculture it became largely impotent and the forest industry suffered greatly. The now forced threesome may not be happy? Such ‘arranged mixed’ marriages can be used for ‘control’ by a powerful minister.
Expect DOC to be outmanoevred and silenced more often.
I saw the subject line and I thought you were talking about the Labour caucus: http://www.3news.co.nz/Opinion-Why-does-Labour-hate-David-Cunliffe-so-much/tabid/1135/articleID/264472/Default.aspx
The heads of the two senior MPs who fed that to Garner need to be on a pike by the end of the week.
Too bad they (or at least one of them) are probably moderators of this blog