World-News

The New Zealand sealion is a globally threatened species that numbers around 7,000 mature adult animals. Since 1980 more than 2,000 sealions have been drowned in the southern squid fishery with more than 100 being killed each year in recent years.

This year Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton increased the number the fishery is allowed to drown by 52% to 150 animals. Half those killed are adult females which means their sealion pup starves back on land because it is unable to survive without its mother to feed it.

Please use the form below to voice your concern about the increase in the number of sealions that can be killed as a result of squid fishing. Forest & Bird will deliver your petition signature to the Government before a decision is made later this year on the 2007 squid season allowable sealion catch.

I urge the Government to reduce the number of threatened New Zealand sealions that fishing vessels are allowed to kill in the southern squid fishery each year to close to zero.

Take action:
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/support/petition/petition.asp

This many New Zealand sea lions have been killed so far this season by the Auckland Islands squid trawlers
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/Marine/sealions/sealionkillcount.asp