Threats to Maui's dolphin

The threat from set netting

Set net fishing poses a major threat to Maui’s dolphins. Like all marine mammals they need to come to the surface regularly to breathe. If they become tangled in set nets, they asphyxiate and die.

Other threats to their survival include marine pollution and being struck by boats.

A significant number of Maui's dolphins have been caught and killed in gill nets since 1987 when DOC began investigating dolphin deaths.  This has prompted a ban on set netting in areas where the dolphins are commonly found.