After finding a dolphin close to death in abandoned longline gear, a charter boat operator wants commercial fishing banned from the Hauraki Gulf.
In 40 metres of water, the charter boat found the dolphin distressed and struggling to breathe while tangled in nylon line.
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Positioning their vessel around the dolphin, it took the crew 10 minutes to untangle the stricken mammal, allowing it to swim free.
The dolphin was found halfway between Tiritiri Matangi and Great Barrier in the Hauraki Gulf.
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Mike Rowse is first mate on the charter boat, and told Newshub that given the location, he believes the gear belongs to a commercial operator.
"I would like to see some more regulation and scrutiny on the commercial sector in terms of fishing inside the Gulf. There's plenty of water out there - they don't need to be fishing on our doorstep," he said.
But Dave Moore, the owner of Wild Fish NZ and six longline vessels operating in the Snapper One fishery - including the Hauraki Gulf - said there is no certainty about whose line it was.
"It could be commercial gear, but it could be recreational gear too. It's pretty hard to identify really," said Mr Moore.
He said longlining, where dozens of hooks are attached to a main line, is one of the most environmentally responsible commercial fishing methods.
"I've been fishing 40 years next year. We've had one encounter with a dolphin and that was released alive," he said.
The Ministry for Primary Industries said that across the country from October 2016 until September last year, two dolphins, 51 fur seals and one beaked whale were caught on longlines. Of those, seven seals died.
The death rate for set netting and trawling is much higher.
Karin Stockin, Massey University Coastal Marine Research Group Director, said the Hauraki Gulf was a key feeding ground for dolphins.
"If we have the opportunity to preserve it in the status, this is it - and for it to avoid being commercially fished, I think we should definitely do that," she said.
Newshub.
