I'm not your - Critic

dELPHiNidAE
28
CaSh MonieS
This is an important question to consider. In a time where
all sectors are financially stretched and the implementation
of new government policies is resulting in a social
shake up, is the government right to destroy fishing jobs
to protect the endangered Maui’s species? Yes, I am aware
that this is heading dangerously down the “are humans
and animals equal” track, but just ponder it. Mawson
suggests that not only will the government’s new net
policy cause job losses, but it will fail to increase Dolphin
numbers. He points to factors such as pollution, disease,
and predators as other threats that the net ban fails to
address. "It will be the final nail in the coffin of the local
industry and Port Taranaki as a fishing port. It's a case
of mutually assured extinction, out of which no one will
be winners – not the dolphins, and not the fishermen."
However, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) argues that
an extension of the set net ban is the only way that the
dolphin can be saved. Bethune also shares this sentiment,
and points to the Black Robin as an example of a
critic.co.nz
Fuck yeah - I’m a dolphin
species that was saved when it was right on the brink of
extinction. “The Black Robin was down to a single female.
There are now 250 of them. If we can save a single bird
we can save the Maui.”
While the Black Robin is a good example of conserva-
tion at its best, there are vast differences between the
circumstances surrounding the revival of the Robin and
the obstacles to saving the Maui’s dolphin. The Robin
could be transported to a safer environment in which
it was essentially removed from many of the threats it
faced. Birds are also considerably easier to control and
monitor than dolphins, which of course are much larger.
And perhaps most importantly, the survival of the Black
Robin was never at odds with the livelihoods of people
who shared their environment.