The Green Party wants the Campbell Islands squid fishery closed and says there's no guarantee devices designed to protect sea lions are going to work. <\/p>\n
Forest and Bird says any fishing methods known to kill sea lions shouldn't be used in waters where they hunt. <\/p>\n
The government on Thursday announced 16 New Zealand sea lion deaths in the first three weeks of the Campbell Islands squid season. <\/p>\n
The species is endangered and ministers said boats trawling in the fishery had agreed to use sea lion protection devices. <\/p>\n
The sea lions drown when they dive down to feed on squid caught in nets, and are trapped. <\/p>\n
The sea lion protection devices (SLEDs) act like trap doors and are designed to flick them out the nets before they drown. <\/p>\n
The Green Party's conservation spokeswoman, Eugenie Sage, says the devices haven't been proven. <\/p>\n
\"The government is being reckless relying on them to save sea lions,\" she said. <\/p>\n
\"The best and surest way to protect the endangered sea lions is to stop lethal fishing methods in their habitat.\" <\/p>\n
Forest and Bird's marine advocate Katrina Subedar says New Zealand sea lions are critically endangered, SLEDs aren't enough and trawling should be banned. <\/p>\n
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Read more here: <\/p>\n
Close Campbell Islands fishery, Greens say<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Green Party wants the Campbell Islands squid fishery closed and says there's no guarantee devices designed to protect sea lions are going to work. Forest and Bird says any fishing methods known to kill sea lions shouldn't be used in waters where they hunt. The government on Thursday announced 16 New Zealand sea lion deaths in the first three weeks of the Campbell Islands squid season. Continue reading